Tasmania Football Club boss Brendon Gale has rejected calls from Eddie McGuire to delay the Devils’ AFL debut, insisting the team remains committed to entering the competition in 2028 as planned.
Gale’s comments come after McGuire, the Channel 9 commentator and former Collingwood president, urged the AFL to consider pushing back the timeline amid concerns about the construction of the team’s new stadium at Macquarie Point.
McGuire told Nine’s Footy Classified there were serious discussions about delaying Tasmania’s entry due to stadium construction concerns.
“There is a real worry that the Tasmanian stadium has been pushed out to 2032,” he said.
“There’s a worry that tomorrow never comes.”
“If the world economy goes the way the world economy is going … there’s a worry about whether people will lose the appetite to build this stadium.”
But Brendon Gale says the Tasmanian club remains focused “more than ever” on entering the AFL and AFLW in 2028 “as planned”.
“The journey to get this far has been full of twists and turns, but one thing that has not changed is our focus and commitment to realising 2028,” Gale told Pulse.
“Everything we do is planning us for 2028 entry, including commencing playing football in the last week.”
Tasmania Football Club launched its VFL team on Saturday and is targeting the appointment of a senior coach by the end of 2026.
McGuire suggested the team’s debut should be delayed until closer to the stadium’s completion to maintain momentum for the project.
However, Gale said Tasmania had always planned to use existing venues in their early years before moving to Macquarie Point Stadium.
“We are excited to play at a significantly upgraded UTAS Stadium and Ninja Stadium in those early years, as we eagerly await the completion of Macquarie Point Stadium,” he said.
