While building an AFL club in any circumstance is fraught with challenges, the Tasmania Devils are approaching a completely unique scenario.
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Tasked with getting a men's team in the competition by 2028, the club is scheduled to have a women's team in the AFLW by 2027.
Added with the VFL and VFLW equivalents that will take to the field even sooner, the Devils will have to recruit more players and staff to a brand-new club than ever before.
They will be the first club in history to enter a women's team before their men's team.
But the prospect is one that club chair Grant O'Brien is receptive to, rather than mindful of.
"I'd rather do them both at the same time," he said.
"It's not even what's easier, it's what's right, and what's right here is to walk into a training and administration centre where the facilities are equal for men and women and the opportunities are equal for men and women.
"That's the world we live in and that's the expectation."
Club board member Kathryn McCann added to the optimism, saying early signs were encouraging that the state's female population are right behind the Devils.
Two weeks after the club launch, McCann revealed that almost 40 per cent of all people who signed up as foundation members were female, a figure "significantly higher than the average across the industry".
It's a percentage that remains to this day.
"We're seeing an incredible response from women, which is a terrific thing, and certainly something that we value extremely highly, because we want to be a club that's accessible, that's inclusive and that creates a sense of belonging," she said.
And while cost will be higher for the Devils as a result of the increased demand for players and staff, O'Brien was hopeful that the women's team would be a driving force in bringing money into the club.
"I would hope that the AFLW team is playing in the big venues by the time we get to 2028," he said.
"At the moment, all around the country, they don't necessarily play in the bigger venues, but I'd like to think by 2028 there's such an interest in the AFLW, particularly in Tassie, that the AFLW teams are playing on the bigger arenas as well."
Ben Hann
A passionate sports lover, devoted to writing detailed stories about the best people and sporting events that Launceston has to offer. Follow me on Twitter at @BenHann6 or email me at ben.hann@austcommunitymedia.com.au for any stories.
A passionate sports lover, devoted to writing detailed stories about the best people and sporting events that Launceston has to offer. Follow me on Twitter at @BenHann6 or email me at ben.hann@austcommunitymedia.com.au for any stories.
