Tasmania will get a double taste of AFL pre-season action once again in 2021.
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The AFL released its 2021 Community Series fixtures on Thursday, with North Melbourne to play Adelaide at North Hobart Oval on Sunday, February 28, at 2.10pm in the final match of the second week of the series, before Hawthorn host Port Adelaide at UTAS Stadum on Saturday, March 6, at 7.40pm during the third and final week of the pre-season series.
North Hobart Oval, which has hosted North Melbourne's AFLW team the past two seasons, is back hosting top-flight men's football after Kingston's Twin Ovals had been used in recent times by the Roos during the pre-season.
The matches will be the first of Hawthorn and North Melbourne's contracted commitments in the state for the year, contracts that will expire at the end of the season.
There is uncertainty surrounding the future of those deals though after Premier Peter Gutwein asked for clarification on a pathway to a potential Tasmanian AFL team before moving forward with those deals.
The AFL Community Series will see a total of 18 matches played at 18 different venues across the country with the AFL saying ticketing arrangements for the series would be "advised in due course".
"The AFL Community Series will see football played at local grounds right across the country and we are really looking forward to connecting the elite men's game to regional and suburban footy grounds, allowing fans to be able to watch their teams in action in their own backyard,'' AFL executive general manager of broadcasting Travis Auld.
The pre-season fixture comes after two AFLW matches were confirmed for the state last week, with the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kanagroos to play Richmond at North Hobart Oval on Saturday, February 27 [the day before the AFL match at the venue], and Melbourne at UTAS Stadium on Sunday, March 14.