An urge to give back to Tasmanian football after retirement has Jack Riewoldt named as the first employee of the state's AFL club.
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On a hugely-significant day for Tasmanian sport, the state's long-awaited club assembled its board members to officially kick-start a project decades in the making.
Sitting outside of the board, Riewoldt is tasked with developing "the fabric" of the club, which is set to join the competition in five years' time.
"Categorically, I would not be in this position if I hadn't have had people invest in me at an early age ," he said.
"From AFL Tasmania, the Clarence Football Club, the Devils and Mariners programs, people have put their heart into me and turned me into the person that I am today.
"I stepped back after 347 games for Richmond in the AFL and thought 'how do I give back?' and this is the opportunity.
"It's come at an amazing time for me at the end of my playing career but now the focus turns on how do we go and find the next superstar for the AFL and AFLW, not to go play on the mainland for one of the leading clubs that exists, but for our own team."
MORE TASSIE AFL NEWS: Grant O'Brien unveils next steps for the Tasmanian Football Club
The club's chair Grant O'Brien said that Riewoldt will be out in the community, talking to football clubs, councils and community groups to find out what Tasmanians want from the team.
He likened it to the All Blacks and how they represent New Zealand.
"We don't want to speak on behalf of Tasmanians for what they want," Riewoldt said.
"Whilst we represent them at a board level and whilst it's a football project, it's actually a community project as well.
"There is something about doing it the Tasmanian way and we can't be branded off a whim, we need to make sure that we hear every story - whether that be a footballer or whether that be from from people's backyards - that makes us who we are."
"We've got a fantastic story to tell - we're a special breed of people, we're hard-working, we're hand-made and the JackJumpers are a great example of how you can harness that energy," he said.
"You've only got to go along to one of their games to know that they're an elite organisation based off culture rather than strategy and I'm a believer in that culture over strategy."
Foundation memberships for the yet-to-be-nicknamed Tasmanian team will be available at the start of the 2024 AFL season, with a small merchandise offer to be available before Christmas.
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