It’s the Devils, you know

TASMANIA’S search for the right team name to lead the state’s football future has revealed that the public clearly favours the Devils.

Over the past month, the Mercury has asked readers to send in their suggestions for the name of the team that will unite all our future footy teams — male and female.

The state’s football steering committee has unveiled a revitalised talent pathway from under-12s to under-18s.

It’s a pathway that will give our talented players greater opportunities to grow while offering more chances to see the Tasmanian name and jumper represented at national level.

All the representative teams will be branded with the one name.

Now, the poll has closed and from a total of 475 suggestions, 142 readers went for the Tassie or Tasmanian Devils.

The Devils is a name that has already made a rich contribution to our football heritage as the moniker of our previous VFL team.

“It’s iconic and makes sense,” said Scott Reitsema, of Launceston.

“It’s a great Tasmanian name with meaning and history behind it,” said Paul Kennedy, of Bellerive. “The support for the Devils in the mid-2000s was outstanding.”

More than half of respondents think the title should include Tassie, Tasmania or Tasmanian but variations of Island or Islanders were also popular.

“I think the Devils is too close to the Melbourne Demons nickname,” said Adam Fitch, of Ravenswood. “Islanders reflects our state’s unique geography and place in Australia.”

Variations on South/Southern, Tigers/Thylacines and the Mariners also got votes alongside references to the state’s history in colonials/convicts/ bushrangers, Van Demons/Diemans; animals such as jack jumpers, dragons/sea Dragons, wombats, snakes/tiger snakes and even geese.

The votes will now be shortlisted by a panel of former footballers, experts and footy enthusiasts chosen by AFL Tasmania. Then, a public poll of readers will decide which of the short-listed names will be the name for Team Tasmania.