Tasmanian football fans finally have the day they've yearned for with the state officially granted a licence for its own AFL team.
Outgoing AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has been at the forefront of getting Tasmania into the league and was on hand to make the 19th team official on Wednesday at North Hobart Oval, in what he called a "historic" announcement. Tasmania will also be granted a team in the AFLW.
The league's aim is to have the Tasmanian teams entering both the AFL and AFLW for the 2028 season.
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"It's a big day for football, it's a big day for Tasmanians and I believe it's a big day for all football supporters," McLachlan said.
"Today is about recognising that Tasmania belongs in the national football conversation."
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff was overjoyed with the announcement.
"Our time has finally come," he said.
"This has been hard fought for by many, many Tasmanians over a number of generations.
"You cannot leave Tasmania off the map and call yourself the Australian Football League. We've changed the course of history."
McLachlan's announcement comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that the state would receive a $240 million grant to build a brand new stadium for the new AFL team to play its home games in.
The AFL had named a brand new stadium as a prerequisite for Tasmania to receive a licence.
McLachlan confirmed that the stadium at Macquarie Point did not necessarily need to be built for the Tasmanian team's inaugural season.
MORE TO COME
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