Tasmania’s AFL club says more major sponsors could soon join Cadbury on its books, declaring there has been “no shortage of interest” as the Devils build their commercial base ahead of their 2028 debut.
Devils CEO Brendon Gale made the comments as he announced Cadbury as a foundation major partner on a five-year deal, with the chocolate maker’s logo set to feature on the back of both the men’s and women’s guernseys.
Cadbury joins Blundstone, the Devils’ foundation principal partner, New Balance, the club’s inaugural apparel partner and Solstice Energy, its official energy partner, among the club’s commercial partners ahead of its 2028 AFL debut.
One of the persistent criticisms of Tasmania’s bid for an AFL team was a perceived lack of commercial support, but Gale said that had not been the club’s experience.
“It’s not something we certainly experienced,” he said.
“We’ve had no shortage of interest.”
Gale said the challenge had instead been finding the right balance between big global and national brands and what the club calls “Tasmanian-ness”.
Gale described today’s Cadbury deal as a major vote of confidence in the fledgling club.
“This is one of the most trusted brands in Australia, the most recognised and trusted brand, so to receive the support and backing of Cadbury is an incredible vote of confidence and allows us to continue to think long-term and build what we believe is going to be a formidable football club,” he said.
The Devils’ general manager of commercial and partnerships James Creak said Cadbury was its own major foundation partner, but indicated further major deals could follow, saying the club was continuing to speak with businesses across different markets.
“We’re having conversations with both local and international and national brands,” Creak said.
“We’ll continue to find the right balance between that Tasmanian-ness but also the commercial realities of building a club from startup.”
Creak said the Cadbury partnership itself was intended to go well beyond the five-year agreement.
“I think through the conversation with the Mondelēz and Cadbury’s team, it’s really been around a partnership in perpetuity,” he said.
“So we’ll continue to forge our new way and it really is a blank canvas. The opportunities are endless.”
Cadbury Australia head Toby Smith said conversations with the Devils began around this time last year, with his response immediate.
“The reply was simply yes,” Smith said.
Smith said the five-year deal was a starting point, with the company’s ambitions stretching well beyond the initial term.
“Why only five years? Great question,” he said.
“Our vision, we’ve got a very clear vision multiple decades and hopefully the Tassie Devils will definitely be part of that.”
