Tassie Devils looking for sponsors with grit
The Tasmania Devils won’t be running onto an AFL field until the 2028 season, but the league’s newest club is already looking for sponsors.
The Devils placed a full-page advertisement in Monday’s edition of the Australian Financial Review calling for commercial partners “who dare to be different.”
“This isn’t about traditional sponsorships,” the ad reads. “This is an invitation to something more profound – a partnership that will reshape how sporting clubs and businesses connect.”
The advertisement explains it is seeking partners who “understand that true collaboration is about shared vision, local pride, and the courage to challenge the status quo.
In May 2023, Tasmania secured the 19th AFL club licence, after an in-principle agreement was signed in November 2022 by the AFL and the Tasmanian Government. The Devils were announced in March 2024, and have already signed up more than 200,000 members.
The last time the AFL added a team to the league was in 2012, when the Greater Western Sydney Football Club joined as the 18th club.
Tasmania Devil’s CEO Brendon Gale tells Mumbrella the club is currently seeking expressions of interests from brands across all levels.
He says this offers “a unique opportunity to partner with the club from the ground floor, as we write the story of the club together.”
Last month, the club revealed its mascot Rum’un, a scruffy Tasmanian Devil named after local slang for ‘an eccentric’ or a ‘scallywag’, and built from discarded school uniforms.
Terrapin Puppet theatre’s lead maker Bryony Anderson, who designed and built Rum’un over a nine-month period, told the ABC that “people said, don’t make it like ‘The Wiggles’. It’s got to be kick-ass.”
The gritty mascot attracted its fair share of criticism after it was revealed, with Gale defending Rum’un at an AFL press conference, saying the devil “reflects our club: uniquely Tasmanian, handcrafted and created with grit and determination.”
This spirit should be reflected in any potential sponsors.
“We are looking forward to hearing from brands who feel a sense of alignment to our values and purpose,” Gale tells Mumbrella.
“The opportunity to build long-lasting partnerships is exciting for the club.”
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