The time and venue for this year’s AFL grand final have been locked in, with the league officially announcing the decider will take place in the evening on Saturday, October 24, at The Gabba in Brisbane.
The later date means there will be a pre-finals bye in 2020. The official start time will be confirmed at a later date as the league and broadcasters work through finer details, such as Queensland’s non-observance of daylight savings. The earliest the game will begin is 5:30pm Brisbane time, 6:30pm Sydney/Melbourne time.
The AFL pledged to allow at least 30,000 fans into the ground and, if a COVID outbreak puts this at risk, they’ll either reduce capacity or move the game to the Adelaide Oval.
The Queensland venue had long been the frontrunner to host the big dance, given the state’s low COVID numbers and integral role in allowing the season to continue after the pandemic forced clubs out of Victoria and New South Wales.
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But the league today officially confirmed the venue would be the first stadium outside Victoria to host the grand final in VFL/AFL history. Western Australia and South Australia were also candidates, but their stricter border restrictions made the logistics of holding the grand final in either state impossible.
McLachlan dismissed suggestions Perth was a ‘distant third’, but stated their tough border policy put them behind the other candidates and also rules out the possibility of any preliminary finals in Perth.
It will also be the first grand final to be held in an evening timeslot. While it has long been speculated that broadcasters have wanted the grand final moved to the more attractive night slot, the official reason given was to avoid clashing with the Cox plate.
The change in venue also means the AFL’s agreement to host the grand final at the MCG every year has been extended until the end of 2058.
VFL/AFL grand final venues
Melbourne Cricket Ground: 1902-1941, 1946-1990, 1992-2019
Junction Oval: 1898-99, 1944
Princes Park: 1942-43, 1945
East Melbourne Cricket Ground: 1900
Waverley Park: 1991
The Gabba: 2020
No grand finals held in 1897 or 1924 – round-robin finals system used
Danny
Guest
Night grand finals will be putting money ahead of a skillful spectacle. At night far less chance of a dry game due to duey surface. For Adelaide games I find it frustrating that so many home games are at night which may be great for ratings but after a dry day its always slippery in the evening.
Mango Jack
Roar Guru
I'm not a fan of the idea I read today about having a best-of-3 game GF. I get that it would bring in much-needed extra money and allow the GF to be shared around the country, but it dilutes the intense atmosphere of the big game. And it's a slippery slope. Once the administrators see how much they milk out of multiple games we will end up like the US NBA, where they have a ridiculous 7 game final series. Move it around the country, but keep it to one game.
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
You sound like every other Melbournian arguing the same old tired tropes until they’re blue in the face. But again, missing the point entirely. It’s an integrity issue and it will continue to come up for as long as it remains present. Also that final wasn’t gifted to us because of “whining”, but rather an issue with scheduling which meant they simply had no choice but to play it there. It’s not “whining” to raise a legitimate issue regarding fairness, but of course fans of clubs who benefit from it would be the first to call anyone raising the issue a whinge and a troublemaker. A basic, predictable human psychological response to defend that which benefits them and their “tribe”, no matter how unjust it may be to others. It’s not about the ONE final we played there, it’s about all the other finals we earned and did not receive, like last year. Working your ass off all year to win the minor premiership, only to gift the fourth placed Melbourne based team a cosy home qualifying final at their own ground. Does that sound like the trait of a fair, even competition to you? In this way, we are a joke to other sports. Imagine the CL final being held at the Santiago Bernabau each and every year for the next 50 years. Then imagine making smaller teams such as Lyon or Leipzig play their home games at the home of their more illustrious opponent, so that “more fans can watch live” and extra $$$ can be accumulated for the competition heads (but not the actual team involved). The “competition” would be scrapped within its first season, as there would be zero integrity, and teams such as Madrid or Bayern would dominate like never before. This complaint applies not only to Geelong, but any team being deprived of their EARNED home finals, for the sake of a few extra $$ for the AFL and their Melbourne centric cohorts. It’s simply not fair, just admit as much and stop trying to delude yourself and others into thinking otherwise. “100 years of playing finals in Melbourne and it’s all of a sudden an issue?” –just because you’ve done something for a while, doesn’t make it right. 400+ years of slavery, but yet those pesky coloured folks still dared to complain about the injustice of it all, and eventually brought about the changes they, and civilised society so desperately sought. Obviously a different situation here, but the message remains the same, a history of injustice doesn’t justify ongoing injustice. Learn from the past, don’t ignore it and keep repeating the same mistakes. This is not an “all of sudden issue” this has been an issue for quite a while now, and comes up every year around September time. –and It will continue to be an issue, until the AFL grow some cajones and set things right.
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
You sound like every other Melbournian arguing the same old tired tropes until they’re blue in the face. But again, missing the point entirely. It’s an integrity issue and it will continue to come up for as long as it remains present. Also that final wasn’t gifted to us because of “whining”, but rather an issue with scheduling which meant they simply had no choice but to play it there. It’s not “whining” to raise a legitimate issue regarding fairness, but of course fans of clubs who benefit from it would be the first to call anyone raising the issue a whinge and a troublemaker. A basic, predictable human psychological response to defend that which benefits them and their “tribe”, no matter how unjust it may be to others. It’s not about the ONE final we played there, it’s about all the other finals we earned and did not receive, like last year. Working your ass off all year to win the minor premiership, only to gift the fourth placed Melbourne based team a cosy home qualifying final at their own ground. Does that sound like the trait of a fair, even competition to you? In this way, we are a joke to other sports. Imagine the CL final being held at the Santiago Bernabau each and every year for the next 50 years. Then imagine making smaller teams such as Lyon or Leipzig play their home games at the home of their more illustrious opponent, so that “more fans can watch live” and extra $$$ can be accumulated for the competition heads (but not the actual team involved). The “competition” would be scrapped within its first season, as there would be zero integrity, and teams such as Madrid or Bayern would dominate like never before. This complaint applies not only to Geelong, but any team being deprived of their EARNED home finals, for the sake of a few extra $$ for the AFL and their Melbourne-centric cohorts. It’s simply not fair, just admit as much and stop trying to delude yourself and others into thinking otherwise. “100 years of playing finals in Melbourne and it’s all of a sudden an issue?” –just because you’ve done something for a while, doesn’t make it right. 400+ years of slavery, but yet those pesky coloured folks still dared to complain about the injustice of it all, and eventually brought about the changes they, and civilised society so desperately sought. Obviously a different situation here, but the message remains the same, a history of injustice doesn’t justify ongoing injustice. Learn from the past, don’t ignore it and keep repeating the same mistakes. This is not an “all of sudden issue” this has been an issue for quite a while now, and comes up every year around September time. –and It will continue to be an issue, until the AFL grow some cajones and set things right.
Alchemist
Roar Rookie
All the whining finally got you a home final and you lost to... Freo. If you're so good at home that should have been an easy win right? Couldn't even knock off Carlton at home this year. 100 years of playing finals in Melbourne and it's all of a sudden an issue? Interstate teams were having to play home finals in Melbourne against Melbourne teams and yet it's the cats who are most hard done by?
SimplySimon
Guest
This is what I meant about Gil doing his homework so lets hope you are right.
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
yes because a sample size of 1 out of 1 is such a great indicator. Lets ignore the best home ground record of any team since 2007 in the entire AFL, and go off our ONE and only finals game there in recent memory. Talk about crafting a good story ;) and WASS that is not the issue here, you know exactly what I mean.
Cob
Guest
Like Brisbane and Gold Coast all season. It's set up nicely for a Brisbane premiership and get some of those league fans he so desperately wants.
The Dom is good
Roar Rookie
I'm glad West Coast & the WA premier stuck to their guns and didn't fork out millions to have the "privilege" of the GF here in Perth. The AFL didnt put a cent into the new stadium so stuff them. Choosing QLD over Perth had other factors at play and not just ignoring the health and safety aspect. Gifting a GF with possibly brisbane in it when brisbane hasnt left the state seems to be a "logical" solution to the stooges at the AFL, opposed to the GF in Perth with the Eagles possibly in it, a team that assisted in getting the season going again and has done the hub twice. dumb
Get Led Zep
Guest
Mike Brady might not be able to do it this year due to travel restrictions.
Taken for granted
Guest
Typical of the league to just take the football states for granted. They do this to Tasmania all the time. Perth has the finest stadium in the land and have been part of the footballing heartland since the beginning. I'm with you WA and SA. Might watch the GF from the MCG by myself on my phone this year.(for an hour)
Harry Selassie
Roar Rookie
The QFL!
WCE
Roar Rookie
Im gonna LOL when they have an outbreak in QLD and Gil & his stooges have to relocate
Johnno
Roar Rookie
A year of compromise. And of favouritism. AFL & states -v- joe blow citizen, AFL -v- states, Premiers -v- AFL. As I have said before on this site, the GF is in Qld because the Qld govt have given preferential treatment to the AFL over their own people. Good luck, hope all goes well.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Works for Richmond
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Scratch my tummy (I'm a Labrador)
Johnno
Roar Rookie
No, but maybe the dewy surface that you get with evening/night games should have.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
What about the "nation that stops a race"?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Of course it is. Coupled with Victorian Arrogance. It's a hard cement to shift.
Fairsuckofthesav
Roar Rookie
'Losing the AFL grand final is tipped to cost Victoria's economy between $50 million and $100 million.' https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-03/afl-grand-final-moving-huge-blow-to-victoria-economy-expert-says/12620338 This is perhaps one of the main reasons the current deal to hold the GF at the MCG beyond our lifetimes : money.