Latest news with #TassieDevils
Perth Now
29-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
AFL CEO sets record straight on Devils
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has doubled down on the importance of Tasmania meeting its licence agreement before entering the competition in 2028. Tasmania was alongside the other 18 clubs for an AFL summit at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday morning. The Devils, however, are facing a nervous wait after the slated cost of their roofed stadium blew out $100m more than the original estimate. Dillon said he was 'really confident' Tasmania would join the AFL as planned in 2028 but reinforced its contractual conditions of entry. 'Having someone of Brendon Gale's calibre put his hand up to lead an expansion team is super important for the industry,' he said. 'It's great to see the Tassie Devils there alongside our other 18 clubs … I am really confident the Tassie Devils will get going in 2028. 'There's complexity but there's always complexity when you're bringing in a new franchise, a new licence or a new club. 'But I am really confident we'll get there and we'll work with the Tasmanian government to make sure all the conditions of the licence are met, which includes there is a stadium with a capacity of 23,000, with a roof at Macquarie Point … as long as all those points are ticked, the licence becomes unconditional and then we start at 2028.' The proposed Macquarie Point multipurpose stadium where the Devils will play. Mac Point Development Corporation Credit: News Corp Australia The AFL summit kicks off discussions between the clubs on how to grow the competition. Dillon has a vision of 10 million attendees, two million members and one million participants across both AFL and AFLW competitions. But he said the discussion of an in-season tournament would not be included and instead be presented to the competition committee. 'What we're talking about for the next couple of days is really focusing in on fan first, we're not really getting into the heavy football stuff,' he said. 'We talked a little bit about that with the CEOs and that will be something we'll take back to the competition committee. 'I think what we want to make sure is that our game is as attractive as it has been. We had records crowds last year, an average of 37,600 people came to our games. 'We're on track to exceed that this year, but we don't want to stop at that, we want to have average crowds of 40,000. 'We just want to make sure our game remains accessible, affordable and as popular as it has been.' Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff at Macquarie Point with aspiring Devils, Daisy Hollick, 7, Toby Hollick, 5, Lakeyn Millhouse, 5, Billy Millhouse 9, and Parker Millhouse, 3. Linda Higginson Credit: News Corp Australia The fixture has come under fire in recent weeks, with the injury-ravaged Essendon and flailing Carlton owning major prime-time slots. Dillon defended the floating fixture and particularly the Thursday night slots that have recently netted smaller crowds in Melbourne. 'The Thursday nights this year, I talk about season averages for crowds and Thursday nights have been above the average – that's a tick,' he said. 'Thursday nights have rated extremely well, but I think what's important is we do have a spread of teams who play through those different slots. 'We have evolved the fixture over the last couple of years, which is not as popular with all of our fans, but we think it's one important part. 'Maybe this year is a bit of an outlier in terms of the teams that were selected earlier on were teams in pretty solid form at the time the floating fixture was put in. 'The games are still rating pretty well, they're still pretty well attended, but we'll take on-board the feedback from fans, broadcasters and clubs as we look to the 2026 fixture.'
News.com.au
29-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon says Tasmania must meet stadium deal before 2028 entry
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has doubled down on the importance of Tasmania meeting its licence agreement before entering the competition in 2028. Tasmania was alongside the other 18 clubs for an AFL summit at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday morning. The Devils, however, are facing a nervous wait after the slated cost of their roofed stadium blew out $100m more than the original estimate. Dillon said he was 'really confident' Tasmania would join the AFL as planned in 2028 but reinforced its contractual conditions of entry. 'Having someone of Brendon Gale's calibre put his hand up to lead an expansion team is super important for the industry,' he said. 'It's great to see the Tassie Devils there alongside our other 18 clubs … I am really confident the Tassie Devils will get going in 2028. 'There's complexity but there's always complexity when you're bringing in a new franchise, a new licence or a new club. 'But I am really confident we'll get there and we'll work with the Tasmanian government to make sure all the conditions of the licence are met, which includes there is a stadium with a capacity of 23,000, with a roof at Macquarie Point … as long as all those points are ticked, the licence becomes unconditional and then we start at 2028.' The AFL summit kicks off discussions between the clubs on how to grow the competition. Dillon has a vision of 10 million attendees, two million members and one million participants across both AFL and AFLW competitions. But he said the discussion of an in-season tournament would not be included and instead be presented to the competition committee. 'What we're talking about for the next couple of days is really focusing in on fan first, we're not really getting into the heavy football stuff,' he said. 'We talked a little bit about that with the CEOs and that will be something we'll take back to the competition committee. 'I think what we want to make sure is that our game is as attractive as it has been. We had records crowds last year, an average of 37,600 people came to our games. 'We're on track to exceed that this year, but we don't want to stop at that, we want to have average crowds of 40,000. 'We just want to make sure our game remains accessible, affordable and as popular as it has been.' The fixture has come under fire in recent weeks, with the injury-ravaged Essendon and flailing Carlton owning major prime-time slots. Dillon defended the floating fixture and particularly the Thursday night slots that have recently netted smaller crowds in Melbourne. 'The Thursday nights this year, I talk about season averages for crowds and Thursday nights have been above the average – that's a tick,' he said. 'Thursday nights have rated extremely well, but I think what's important is we do have a spread of teams who play through those different slots. 'We have evolved the fixture over the last couple of years, which is not as popular with all of our fans, but we think it's one important part. 'Maybe this year is a bit of an outlier in terms of the teams that were selected earlier on were teams in pretty solid form at the time the floating fixture was put in. 'The games are still rating pretty well, they're still pretty well attended, but we'll take on-board the feedback from fans, broadcasters and clubs as we look to the 2026 fixture.'
ABC News
19-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Tassie penguins affected by worms
Tasmania is famous for its wildlife; wombats; Tassie devils and even little penguins. But in Burnie, on the state's north coast one wildlife carer has noticed a concerning issue with these beloved birds. An increasing number are affected by worms and it's impacting their health and giving insights into their changing environment.
News.com.au
05-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘No confidence' cloud hangs over Devils
AFL: A 'no confidence motion' towards the Tasmanian premier has left plenty of doubt around the future of the Tassie Devils as Macquarie Point stadium development could be in danger.
News.com.au
04-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Tassie Devils CEO Brendon Gale responds to AFL club's ‘giant mess'
Tassie Devils chief executive Brendon Gale put on a brave face on Wednesday evening amid explosive reports the expansion AFL club is fighting for survival. While a 'very optimistic' Gale spoke confidently about the club being 'on track' and even ahead of schedule, he did float the possibility the club's controversial stadium – if it does go ahead – may not be ready to launch in 2028. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The AFL's 19th franchise went public with a plea to state government figures after Tasmanian Labor on Tuesday filed a no-confidence motion against Premier Jeremy Rockliff. The extraordinary development means Tasmanians could be heading back to the polls if another election is called. The move comes amid allegations the Rockliff Government has mismanaged the Apple Isle's budget and bungled key infrastructure projects, including the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium. That's the venue the Devils hope to call home when they enter the AFL in 2028. Rockliff has been one of the emerging football club's strongest supporters — even in a climate where there has been widespread anger towards the planned $1 billion stadium. Kath McCann, the Devils' general manager of marketing, corporate affairs and social impact, on Wednesday broke down in tears at a press conference. Pressure is seemingly building on the club's entry to the competition, but 56-year-old Tasmanian Gale adopted a confident tone when he discussed the precarious situation on AFL 360. 'There's some uncertainty around the leadership of government and … there's a vote of no confidence in the premier,' he began. 'But as far as we're concerned, it's business as usual. 'We're getting on with the business, we have to, of building an organisation and building teams. 'Clearly our existence is conditioned upon the delivery of a stadium and that's an agreement between the AFL and the state government and that stadium needs to clear passage of both Houses of Parliament. 'That process is underway at the moment and that process will run its course, that hasn't changed. 'There's some uncertainty around leadership and maybe the composition of parliament, but that really hasn't changed. 'We've just got to get on with the job and controlling things we can control.' The AFL has always maintained a Tasmanian team entering the AFL was dependant on a new stadium being built in Hobart. The Macquarie Point project has been highly divisive right from the start and that was before estimated costs first began to blow out from an initial figure of $755 million. It was revealed last month the total cost of the project has blown out to at least $945 million. The Tasmanian state government has pledged $375 million towards the roofed, harbour-front stadium, while the federal government has committed to $240 million. The AFL body's $15 million contribution has also been made public, leaving more than over $300m remaining to be funded through state borrowings. Gale was asked if he felt any unease about the budget blowout. 'Not really,' he said. 'Sorry it's a significant amount of money, but I was aware, I had line of sight. 'And to be fair, when I saw the original quotes three years ago, anyone who's anyone involved in any form of construction or development would be aware of escalation rates the last three or four years. 'So that number was always skinny and always going to be a bigger number. 'It's a big cost, but it's a huge investment, it's a really important investment and it's an investment the government has deemed to be worth making. 'We need as a state to continue to invest in growth.' Gale then talked through the obstacles facing the club in relation to the stadium and the Tasmanian government. 'At the moment it's on track,' he said. 'It's in parliament now, the legislation which enables the whole development is in parliament and it's been debated and scrutinised. 'It'll need to clear the Lower House and enter the Upper House in late July and if it's cleared, the government walks away with a set of planning approvals really. 'In that respect, were that to take place, it's probably ahead of course. 'It may not be ready by round one, 2028, but there's a process to accommodate that as well. 'As soon as possible is best for us and the AFL and the Tasmanian community, but it's on track.' Gale remains confident the club will proceed as planned, regardless of who leads the state, declaring it has 'broadbase political support'. He also emphasised the opportunity the Devils can provide. 'It's not about football, it's about the potential to lift this whole state, and we believe in that,' he said. 'You just saw the response of Kath McCann, it's a responsibility that sits heavily with us.' An emotional McCann had to compose herself before addressing the media earlier on Wednesday. 'This club is powered by future generations,' she said. 'I've got 50 students out here in my sight line, they power us every single day and they will keep doing that. 'We're going to play on. We want to see this team become a reality because our young people deserve it.' The football club also released a media statement confessing the political turbulence is threatening the club's survival. Leading Tasmanian sport journalist Brent Costelloe on Tuesday night told Channel 9 it is a 'giant mess'. The ABC's Chris Rowbottom also described the precarious position the club finds itself in on X. 'Tasmania's AFL license hangs by the barest of threads,' Rowbottom posted. 'There's an acceptance that an early election spells the end of any stadium, including alternate proposals, and the Devils.' He earlier reported there was a widely held view the 'Devils will be dead' if a state election is called. Gale spoke at length about the difficulties in convincing Tasmanians of the stadium proposal, describing them as 'always big, they're expensive and there's always a whole range of other priorities'. He also said existing stadiums in Hobart and Launceston aren't 'fit for the purpose of providing a sustainable, commercial business model to underpin a team in the big league on a sustainable basis'. But the former Richmond player and chief executive reiterated his confidence in the project moving forward. 'Recent events might create some more uncertainty, but no I think parliament is very supportive,' he said. 'Even this motion brought in the last 24 hours, wasn't about football or about the stadium, it was about some budgetary concerns, but I guess it sparked this chain reaction. 'So I'm confident the more people in the community understand the importance of the stadium, how it's critical to meet the commercial, financial requirements of a team in the biggest sporting competition in Australia, the more they understand how it will unlock a whole range of other financial, economic, social, cultural benefits, the more people are open to changing their minds and supporting of it.
