The AFL club presidents have voted unanimously to grant Tasmania the game’s 19th licence, fulfilling decades of dreams for a team from the island state.

The announcement of $240 million in federal funding towards a 23,000-seat stadium at Hobart’s Macquarie Point was the final hurdle to be cleared before presidents could vote on Tasmania’s bid.

Under that plan, Tasmania will enter the league in 2027, first playing games at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval and Launceston’s York Park before the new stadium is finished in 2028-29.

The island state has long eyed an entry into the league, launching its first serious bid in 1994 for a team and a 30,000-seat stadium at the Hobart Showgrounds.

The rejection and dismissal of the state continued when another big was launched in 2008.

When AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan entered the top job in 2014 he said it could be a decade before a Tasmanian team bid would be considered by club presidents. Tasmania has secured a team in nine years.

The addition of a 19th team means the league will go back to having an uneven number of clubs, with one of the 19 sides to have a bye each round — advancing them in the league without playing a match.

More to come.