Geelong versus Essendon should be at the MCG

The AFL will not move Friday nights clash between Geelong and Essendon from Etihad Stadium to the MCG. But they should.

Both Geelong and Essendon enter the game undefeated, following wins against Richmond and GWS respectively. Top spot is on the line.

Last year a crowd of 50,066 attended the round 17 match between Geelong and Essendon. It was the largest crowd at Etihad in 2012.

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said moving the game from the Docklands stadium would not be considered.

“Basically we haven’t moved games because of the last two broadcast deals,” Keane said.

“We have fixture agreements with each of our venues, which guarantees them a number of games, and obviously once games are locked in with reserve ticket sales, we commit to the venue.”

Nevertheless, the unwillingness of the AFL to move games when demand warrants it is a short-sighted stance. The match on Friday will draw around 50,000 people, while at the MCG the game would draw around 20,000 to 30,000 more.

It promises to be a huge game, with a lot on the line and supporters from both clubs and neutrals from neither keen to be there.

Unfortunately many will be stuck watching it on their couch.

One argument against a venue change is that Etihad is guaranteed a specific number of games but also a number of high quality games, which I presume is defined by the number of people in attendance.

I have no problem with that but it is clear that the distribution of games between the two stadiums could be improved.

Another argument is that those setting the fixture could not have known that the demand for the game would be so great.

Both arguments are nonsense.

There are a number of games that could be played at Etihad rather than the MCG and still draw an excellent crowd.

For example, in round two Essendon played Melbourne at the MCG in front of 51,153 people. Had the game been scheduled at Etihad it would have drawn fewer people but it most likely would have still drawn around 45,000 people, which would constitute a ‘quality’ game for Etihad.

In round five, Hawthorn played North Melbourne at Etihad drawing 42,103 people. Had it been played at Etihad it would have drawn a similar crowd.

Naturally there are also plenty of games over the remaining rounds that would be more suitable at Etihad and still draw large crowds. For example, Hawthorn versus Sydney (Round 7) and St Kilda versus Melbourne (Round 13) were two that jumped straight out.

Rescheduling a game from the MCG to Etihad would also be easy. Surely St Kilda would rather play Melbourne at their own home ground?

It seems clear that the Geelong versus Essendon match can be moved without compromising Etihad’s guarantee of a specific number of ‘quality’ games.

As for demand it should have been easy to predict that the demand could outstrip the capacity of Etihad Stadium. Last year the match drew 50,066 people, the year before it drew 43,806 people. When the fixture was created it was reasonable to believe that Essendon would be better than they were last season. It was therefore reasonable to believe that this fixture could pull well over 50,000 people.

Unfortunately this situation is not without precedent. In 2009 the same thing happened when St Kilda played Geelong in round 14 with both teams undefeated. Again a significant number of people missed out on the opportunity to see a great game of football.

I will be attending Friday night’s game and I am sure the atmosphere will be phenomenal but it is unfortunate that so many fans will miss out on the opportunity to be there.

Sometimes the AFL needs to remember that the fans are the only reason that the AFL has a $1.25 billion broadcast deal and the only reason why AFL attendances are the highest in the country.

With all the negative publicity the AFL has faced in 2013, would it have done them any harm to make a decision that benefited the fans?