Draft just a spectacle, not Marvel
THE AFL has shelved ambitious plans to hold next month’s national draft in the middle of Marvel Stadium in front of thousands of fans in an NFLstyle spectacle.
The AFL had hoped to start the new two-day draft by hosting it in the centre of the Docklands venue with up to 5000 fans on the ground and seated in bays under the Medallion Club.
The NFL and NBA drafts are raucous, hugely popular events involving fans travelling from across the country to watch the action unfold as picks are announced by club legends.
Up to 250 fans from each club would have been invited to populate a “fan zone”, with families, friends and the draftees also in the middle of the ground awaiting selections.
But after reviewing the costs, the league will now hold a more low-key event in the stadium’s Victory Room.
Clubs will have their draft teams positioned in corporate boxes as they assess players and decide whether to become involved in live trading of selections.
The first round of the draft will be held on November 22, with the rest of the draft – as well as the pre-season and rookie drafts – to be held the next day.
AFL officials Josh Vanderloo, Ken Wood and Simon Murphy travelled to this year’s NFL draft to assess ideas for the AFL’s draft and in August announced there would be live trading of picks.
For the first time clubs can trade up selections to secure the players they have prioritised.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan will read out the first-round selections and the league is still considering who will announce the players picked on day two.
Club legends and current players are currently being considered.