Tasmanian Devils Football Club
Encyclopedia
Tasmania Football Club, nicknamed The Devils, was an Australian rules football
club which competed in the Victorian Football League
in Australia
. Formed in 2001, it was the youngest and the only non-Victorian
club in the league. The club was based in the state of Tasmania
at Bellerive Oval
and was run by AFL Tasmania
. At the end of the 2008 season, AFL Tasmania decided to withdraw the Devils from the VFL competition in favour of re-starting a new Tasmanian league encompassing the entire state
.
instigated the formation a Tasmanian team for the newly re-constructed Victorian Football League
. The Tasmanian Devils Football Club formed in 2001 and was admitted into the VFL in its inaugural season the same year. The AFL continues to own the club.
The nickname "Devils" was chosen as the moniker for the club after the tenacious marsupial predator the Tasmanian Devil
which is indigenous to the island of Tasmania. The club colours green, red, gold (and black) were inspired by the original State of Origin
"map" guernsey and are also Tasmania's sporting colours.
The Devils established home grounds in both Hobart
and Launceston
to deal with the long standing north-south rivalry. Originally northern home games were played at Ulverstone, Devonport, Burnie and at Launceston's Aurora Stadium
while North Hobart Oval
hosted games in the south. At the end of the 2005 season the team moved from North Hobart Oval to Bellerive Oval
for home games in the south and began playing all northern home games at Aurora Stadium.
2001 and 2002 brought mediocre results but, under the direction of coach Matthew Armstrong
, the Devils made the finals for the first time in 2003, finishing a respectable third. The 2004 and 2005 seasons saw the Devils again making the finals.
At the start of the 2006 season the Devils and the North Melbourne Football Club
began a partial alignment but the season proved to be a disappointment, with the Devils finishing eighth and missing the finals. During the 2006 season Armstrong was forced to step down as coach, due to internal pressure from the playing group, ending his six year term as Devils coach. North Hobart premiership coach and former Devil Brendan Bolton was made stand in coach for the remainder of the year.
At the end of 2006 Tasmanian and former Sydney Swan
Daryn Cresswell
was named coach of the club for 2007 after a successful career as an assistant coach at Geelong
and the Brisbane Lions
.
At the end of the 2008 season, AFL Tasmania decided to withdraw the Devils from the VFL competition in favour of re-starting a new Tasmanian league encompassing the entire state.
in Hobart and Aurora Stadium
in Launceston
, (considered modest by AFL standards) but crowds fell away sharply in 2007 to approximately 1,500 at Bellerive Oval
and less than 1,000 at Aurora Stadium
.
Apparel Sponsors:
Ball Sponsors:
expressed intentions to align with the Devils. A deal was struck that involved a capped number of players from the Kangaroos in both the Devils and the North Ballarat Football Club
in the VFL.
In September 2007 AFL Tasmania announced an end to the alignment. The club took to the field in 2008 in its final season as a stand-alone club.
Runners Up: -
VFL Club Champions: -
JJ Liston Trophy Medallists:
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club which competed in the Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Formed in 2001, it was the youngest and the only non-Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
club in the league. The club was based in the state of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
at Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
and was run by AFL Tasmania
AFL Tasmania
AFL Tasmania is the governing body for Australian rules football in Tasmania.The organisation is responsible for game development in the state. The organisation recently became affiliated with the Australian Football League and was formerly known as Football Tasmania.The body is responsible for...
. At the end of the 2008 season, AFL Tasmania decided to withdraw the Devils from the VFL competition in favour of re-starting a new Tasmanian league encompassing the entire state
Tasmanian Football League
Tasmanian State League is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.The league has a long and convoluted history which dates back to its founding on 12 June 1879 Tasmanian State League (TSL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), Tasmanian...
.
Club history
During the '1990s, Tasmania had shown strong interest in joining the AFL and after rejected bids in 1995 and 1997 the Australian Football LeagueAustralian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
instigated the formation a Tasmanian team for the newly re-constructed Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
. The Tasmanian Devils Football Club formed in 2001 and was admitted into the VFL in its inaugural season the same year. The AFL continues to own the club.
The nickname "Devils" was chosen as the moniker for the club after the tenacious marsupial predator the Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936...
which is indigenous to the island of Tasmania. The club colours green, red, gold (and black) were inspired by the original State of Origin
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
"map" guernsey and are also Tasmania's sporting colours.
The Devils established home grounds in both Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
and Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
to deal with the long standing north-south rivalry. Originally northern home games were played at Ulverstone, Devonport, Burnie and at Launceston's Aurora Stadium
Aurora Stadium
York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 20,000 people—more than any other stadium in Tasmania—York Park has been known as Aurora Stadium under a six-year naming rights agreement signed with Aurora Energy in 2004...
while North Hobart Oval
North Hobart Oval
North Hobart Oval is a sports venue in North Hobart, Tasmania, used for Australian rules football.-History:North Hobart Oval started its existence as Hobart Town's brickfields in 1844 before becoming a convict women's housing site, an immigration depot and an invalid persons' depot before closing...
hosted games in the south. At the end of the 2005 season the team moved from North Hobart Oval to Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
for home games in the south and began playing all northern home games at Aurora Stadium.
2001 and 2002 brought mediocre results but, under the direction of coach Matthew Armstrong
Matthew Armstrong
Matthew Armstrong is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy and North Melbourne in the VFL/AFL. He was a regular interstate representative for his home state of Tasmania....
, the Devils made the finals for the first time in 2003, finishing a respectable third. The 2004 and 2005 seasons saw the Devils again making the finals.
At the start of the 2006 season the Devils and the North Melbourne Football Club
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
began a partial alignment but the season proved to be a disappointment, with the Devils finishing eighth and missing the finals. During the 2006 season Armstrong was forced to step down as coach, due to internal pressure from the playing group, ending his six year term as Devils coach. North Hobart premiership coach and former Devil Brendan Bolton was made stand in coach for the remainder of the year.
At the end of 2006 Tasmanian and former Sydney Swan
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
Daryn Cresswell
Daryn Cresswell
Daryn Cresswell was an Australian rules footballer for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League, and the former senior coach of the Tasmanian Devils Football Club that played in the Victorian Football League.-Playing career:...
was named coach of the club for 2007 after a successful career as an assistant coach at Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
.
At the end of the 2008 season, AFL Tasmania decided to withdraw the Devils from the VFL competition in favour of re-starting a new Tasmanian league encompassing the entire state.
Attendances
The Devils generated the largest crowds in the VFL; in the early stages they averaged around 4,000 per match at both North Hobart OvalNorth Hobart Oval
North Hobart Oval is a sports venue in North Hobart, Tasmania, used for Australian rules football.-History:North Hobart Oval started its existence as Hobart Town's brickfields in 1844 before becoming a convict women's housing site, an immigration depot and an invalid persons' depot before closing...
in Hobart and Aurora Stadium
Aurora Stadium
York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 20,000 people—more than any other stadium in Tasmania—York Park has been known as Aurora Stadium under a six-year naming rights agreement signed with Aurora Energy in 2004...
in Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, (considered modest by AFL standards) but crowds fell away sharply in 2007 to approximately 1,500 at Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
and less than 1,000 at Aurora Stadium
Aurora Stadium
York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 20,000 people—more than any other stadium in Tasmania—York Park has been known as Aurora Stadium under a six-year naming rights agreement signed with Aurora Energy in 2004...
.
Sponsors
Major Jumper Sponsors:- Wrest Point Hotel CasinoWrest Point Hotel CasinoThe Wrest Point Hotel Casino was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, Tasmania, on 10 February 1973.-History:...
(2006–2008) - PatrickPatrick CorporationPatrick Corporation Ltd was an Australian publicly listed logistics conglomerate. Headed by CEO Chris Corrigan before it was absorbed by Toll Holdings in 2006, Patrick had interests in shipping, rail and aviation, including a 62% shareholding in airline Virgin Blue...
(2001–2005)
Apparel Sponsors:
- Burley-SekemBurley-SekemBurley-Sekem Pty Ltd is an Australian sporting goods and apparel company. It was formed in 1985 from the merger of Burley Sports Pty Ltd, formerly JL Burley Pty Ltd, a Western Australian football manufacturer, and Sekem Pty Ltd, a sporting apparel and school uniform manufacturer.-Burley:The Burley...
(2001–2008)
Ball Sponsors:
- Jetstar
Alignment with AFL club
Following the trend of AFL clubs to align themselves with VFL clubs for match fitness of reserves players, in 2005 the KangaroosKangaroos Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
expressed intentions to align with the Devils. A deal was struck that involved a capped number of players from the Kangaroos in both the Devils and the North Ballarat Football Club
North Ballarat Football Club
North Ballarat Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club based at Northern Oval in Ballarat. The club is locally known as the Roosters and plays in the Victorian Football League are current competition premiers and one of only four clubs based outside of Melbourne...
in the VFL.
In September 2007 AFL Tasmania announced an end to the alignment. The club took to the field in 2008 in its final season as a stand-alone club.
Premierships
Premiers: - (finished 3rd twice)Runners Up: -
VFL Club Champions: -
Individual awards
Alastair Lynch Medalists (Best and Fairest):- Leigh Walker (2001)
- Cameron Blight & Ben Atkin (2002)
- Jordon Doering (2003)
- Matthew Jovanovic (2004)
- Ian Callinan (2005)
- Brett Geappen (2006)
- Leigh AdamsLeigh Adams (Australian rules footballer)Leigh Adams is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays with the North Melbourne Football Club.A small midfielder who was selected in the 2007 Rookie Draft from Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup, he captained the Victorian Metro team in the 2006 AFL National Under 18 Championships and won...
(2007)
JJ Liston Trophy Medallists:
- Ian Callinan (2005)