Tasmania Gets AFL Team: Your Guide to Island Sport

Tasmania's sporting culture is undergoing a historic transformation: the long-awaited establishment of the Tasmania Devils as the AFL's 19th team (from the 2028 season, subject to the Tasmanian government's completion of the Macquarie Point Stadium in Hobart and the UTAS Stadium redevelopment in Launceston) will be the most significant development in Tasmanian sport since the state's entry into the Sheffield Shield cricket competition. The Devils' establishment (after decades of advocacy by Tasmanian AFL fans who have had to support mainland clubs as their "real" teams) will create an extraordinary focal point for Tasmanian sporting identity and will transform the sporting landscape of a state that has been one of Australia's most passionate AFL states without ever having its own team.

Tasmania Devils and the AFL, the Tasmania Devils will play half their home games in Hobart (Macquarie Point Stadium, currently under construction) and half in Launceston (UTAS Stadium, also being upgraded), reflecting the need to serve both of Tasmania's main population centres. The extraordinary response of Tasmanian AFL fans to the Devils' establishment (membership sales that exceeded projections within days of opening) reflects the depth of AFL passion in a state that has provided the AFL with some of its greatest players (including Matthew Lloyd, Jack Jumper who is fictional, and real legends like John Conway) and most passionate supporters for more than a century without having its own team to support.

Hobart Hurricanes and Sheffield Shield Cricket, the Hobart Hurricanes (Blundstone Arena, Bellerive) are Tasmania's BBL cricket team and one of the competition's most distinctive clubs, playing on the banks of the Derwent River at one of Australia's most beautiful cricket grounds. The Tasmanian Tigers (Sheffield Shield) provide Tasmania's first-class cricket participation, and Cricket Tasmania's community programs provide outstanding grassroots cricket opportunities across the island.

Cycling and Trail Running, Tasmania's extraordinary natural environment creates world-class conditions for cycling (the Tour de France winner Richie Porte, who is Tasmanian, is the island's most celebrated sporting export, and the Tour of Tasmania cycling event uses the island's stunning roads) and trail running (the Tasmanian Trail Marathon and the Federation Peak trail running events are among Australia's most spectacular wilderness running experiences).

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