Majority of fans believe Tassie Devils' AFL entry should be delayed until new stadium is built

The Tassie Devils are slated to enter the AFL for the 2028 season, but should their entry be delayed until their bespoke stadium is built?

That is the opinion of the majority of AFL fans, who believe the Devils and the Macquarie Point stadium should enter hand in hand.

58.1 per cent of respondents in our SEN AFL Fan Survey agreed with the sentiment, while 41.9 per cent are happy with Tassie entering as planned in 2028.

There’s still time to have your say in the AFL Fan Survey!

The stadium must be ready for the 2029 season according to the state’s license agreement with the AFL, something that seems ambitious given ground is yet to be broken, and materials will likely need to be shipped from the mainland.

It is set to cost $775 million, with the AFL tipping in $15 million to the project.

The Devils will likely play in Launceston and Hobart until Macquarie Point is ready to go – however long that takes.

Tassie will be team 19 and with that likely comes the introduction of team no.20.

We asked in the Fan Survey where that side should be located, with 46.8 per cent of respondents backing Darwin as the home of team 20. 3.6 per cent voted for Alice Springs – adding to the Northern Territory support.

A third team in Western Australia received 17.4 per cent of the vote, edging out a Canberra-based side at 16.1 per cent.

The support for Darwin as team 20 has dropped from last year’s SEN AFL Fan Survey, however.

We asked the same question 12 months ago, with 55.4 per cent of respondents backing Darwin in 2023.

Support for Canberra, Western Australia and South Australia has risen marginally year on year, while there remains no interest in a third team in Queensland or New South Wales.