SYDNEY BIDDING TO STEAL AFL GRAND FINAL
SYDNEY’S ambitious bid to steal the AFL grand final off Brisbane hinges on a high level push to get crowd capacity at ANZ Stadium up to 50,000.
Under the NSW Government push, the AFL would have to hold its showpiece on Saturday, October 17 – a week before the NRL grand final on October 25 – because turning ANZ Stadium around for both events on the same weekend would be a near impossibility.
The Gabba in Brisbane is considered the hot favourite to win the rights to host its slice of AFL history, and the two proposed AFL dates are October 17 and 24.
However, also giving NSW some hope of an upset win is the fact Sydney is the commercial capital of Australia and a base to some of the AFL’s leading partners, like Channel 7 and Toyota.
If health authorities in NSW could be convinced that a socially distanced crowd of 40,000-50,000 at ANZ for mid-late October is safe, it would blow the Gabba’s maximum capacity of 30,000 out of the water and give the AFL its best shot at a blockbuster atmosphere.
Any promises of that nature would be fraught with danger given the unpredictability of COVID19
but the NSW Government has now proven its ability to effectively track cases, while Queensland now braces for the uncharted territory of having to deal with its own outbreaks.
The NRL has already started its own talks with the NSW Government about a crowd of more than half of ANZ’s usual 80,000 capacity for its decider on October 25, and the same conversations are taking place about the AFL grand final before a final decision is made on where it will be hosted in the coming days.
Some in AFL land feel a deal is as good as done with the Queensland Government but NSW is refusing to give up the fight, sensing the magnitude of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where arguably the nation’s biggest event will be forced away from its usual home at the MCG.
On the back of the economic damage caused by COVID-19, two grand finals in front of 50,000 crowds in consecutive weeks would provide a massive financial injection to the NSW economy.
As well as the financial side, it’s understood the AFL would be also be looking for some commitments from suitors over what they would be prepared to pour into future grassroots and women’s football projects.