Reported by Brett Stubbs
The formation of a Centre of Excellence, a $250,000 increased AFL grant, a 50 per cent increased salary cap and closer ties with the Hawthorn Football Club are all key ingredients to lifting the Devils off the bottom of the VFL ladder.
AFL Tasmania chairman Dominic Baker announced yesterday the Devils would be staying in the VFL long-term.
"Realistically, our intention is the Devils will be remaining in the VFL while we have the Tasmanian Devils," he said.
"We will sign a (VFL) licence for five years.
"Once we have got this program set up and working well and we have a successful club inside that competition, I think we will be there for a very long time."
The review, led by AFL Tasmania board member and Western Bulldogs recruiting manager Scott Clayton, will result in the state's best young players being relocated to the Centre of Excellence at Bellerive under the Devils banner.
AFL Tasmania general manager Scott Wade said the program had let the state's talent down.
"We think we compromised one or two players' ability to get drafted by the system we have got in place at the moment and we have an obligation to fix that," Wade said.
"Quite clearly, their physical conditioning and their football has dropped off by the fact they are not training at intensity."
The end of the Devils' partial alignment with the Kangaroos allows them to work more closely with Hawthorn, which receives $3 million a year sponsorship from the State Government.
Wade said AFL Tasmania would have discussions with the Hawks about tapping into its coaching and specialised staff and players, and its state-of-the-art facilities at Waverley for the Devils, the Mariners and the state under-16 team. But an alignment with Hawthorn has been ruled out.
The Devils' salary cap will increase from $200,000 to $300,000, while AFL Tasmania's accommodation and travel expenses to and from Victoria will be subsidised by either the AFL or AFL Victoria.
Wade said the licence fee, $85,000 for 2007 because of the alignment, would be between zero and $30,000 next season. He said AFL Tasmania was not expecting instant results.
"The board and management's view is this is a long-term commitment to the VFL," Wade said.
