Where will the Grand Final be played?

[Blood Fever]

There is this thing called money BF. It always wins in the end. It's the team that never loses.

Happy for you to be right

[KTigers]

Admire your enthusiasm and zeal. Of course you're right about the absurdity of it. Still think you underestimate the parochialism of footy fans down here. MCG sacred ground re GF.

There is this thing called money BF. It always wins in the end. It's the team that never loses.

[Blood Fever]

What the AFL should do is go to the Vic Government and the MCG and say the arrangement to play the GF at the MCG forever is going
to hurt the growth the code nationally for decades and billions of dollars in future revenue are going to be lost as a result. That should be
the crux of their argument because that IS the centre of the problem with current deal. Let alone just how bad it looks to the rest
of the country and how incredibly unfair it is to the non Vic teams. Even before Covid, footy has been going absolutely nowhere in Australia
for years. If you don't believe me look at the crowd numbers on the AFL tables site and look at the population growth figures on the ABS
website. Covid aside TV ratings have been stagnant for years. The money in the game has plateaued. Poor old George Hewett is about
to sign a 4 year $1.8M deal to play for Carlton, but he won't be able to afford to buy a house there.
I'm not saying it will be easy for the AFL to change the MCG-GF deal but if they have the willpower to do it, they can. I think it's a bit
of a myth that all Victorians are going to slit their wrists if the GF isn't played at the MCG in perpetuity. I'm not aware of anyone
throwing themselves into the Yarra in despair during the last two GFs because they weren't at the MCG. Likewise, Sydney league
fans look they are going to pull through the experience of the RL GF tomorrow night being played up in Brisbane by doing precisely
what they always do. Which is watch it on TV.
It's inevitable that the AFL will seek to change the MCG GF deal eventually. They are not up to it at the moment, but it'll happen.
They can only afford to hold back the code nationally for so long. I think they already know the 40 year deal in 2017 was a
mistake. But right now, with last two GFs being played outside of Melbourne, they will stick with it.

Admire your enthusiasm and zeal. Of course you're right about the absurdity of it. Still think you underestimate the parochialism of footy fans down here. MCG sacred ground re GF.

[KTigers]

What the AFL should do is go to the Vic Government and the MCG and say the arrangement to play the GF at the MCG forever is going
to hurt the growth the code nationally for decades and billions of dollars in future revenue are going to be lost as a result. That should be
the crux of their argument because that IS the centre of the problem with current deal. Let alone just how bad it looks to the rest
of the country and how incredibly unfair it is to the non Vic teams. Even before Covid, footy has been going absolutely nowhere in Australia
for years. If you don't believe me look at the crowd numbers on the AFL tables site and look at the population growth figures on the ABS
website. Covid aside TV ratings have been stagnant for years. The money in the game has plateaued. Poor old George Hewett is about
to sign a 4 year $1.8M deal to play for Carlton, but he won't be able to afford to buy a house there.
I'm not saying it will be easy for the AFL to change the MCG-GF deal but if they have the willpower to do it, they can. I think it's a bit
of a myth that all Victorians are going to slit their wrists if the GF isn't played at the MCG in perpetuity. I'm not aware of anyone
throwing themselves into the Yarra in despair during the last two GFs because they weren't at the MCG. Likewise, Sydney league
fans look they are going to pull through the experience of the RL GF tomorrow night being played up in Brisbane by doing precisely
what they always do. Which is watch it on TV.
It's inevitable that the AFL will seek to change the MCG GF deal eventually. They are not up to it at the moment, but it'll happen.
They can only afford to hold back the code nationally for so long. I think they already know the 40 year deal in 2017 was a
mistake. But right now, with last two GFs being played outside of Melbourne, they will stick with it.

[Blood Fever]

The AFL could change the arrangement to play the GF at the MCG if they wanted to, they just don't want to. The MCG needs the AFL a lot
more than the AFL needs the MCG. The last few months have proved you don't need to play games in Melbourne at all. You don't even
need crowds. You don't even need crowds at places that aren't Melbourne. Would millions of people have watched the GF on TV if it had
been played in an empty stadium in Cairns? Of course they would have. All this BS about "the MCG GF contract" as if it's come down on a
tablet of stone from the mountain with Moses. Contracts get changed all the time. It's happens as often as breathing. The AFL just have
to WANT to do it. They don't.

Victorian government bribed the AFL into the agreement. It makes the AFL a laughing stock in terms of a national competition but no Victorian state government, Labor or Liberal, can afford to lose the GF on a political level. A lot of voters would have a nervous breakdown.

[Bloods05]

The AFL could change the arrangement to play the GF at the MCG if they wanted to, they just don't want to. The MCG needs the AFL a lot
more than the AFL needs the MCG. The last few months have proved you don't need to play games in Melbourne at all. You don't even
need crowds. You don't even need crowds at places that aren't Melbourne. Would millions of people have watched the GF on TV if it had
been played in an empty stadium in Cairns? Of course they would have. All this BS about "the MCG GF contract" as if it's come down on a
tablet of stone from the mountain with Moses. Contracts get changed all the time. It's happens as often as breathing. The AFL just have
to WANT to do it. They don't.

How could they change the arrangement?

[KTigers]

The AFL could change the arrangement to play the GF at the MCG if they wanted to, they just don't want to. The MCG needs the AFL a lot
more than the AFL needs the MCG. The last few months have proved you don't need to play games in Melbourne at all. You don't even
need crowds. You don't even need crowds at places that aren't Melbourne. Would millions of people have watched the GF on TV if it had
been played in an empty stadium in Cairns? Of course they would have. All this BS about "the MCG GF contract" as if it's come down on a
tablet of stone from the mountain with Moses. Contracts get changed all the time. It's happens as often as breathing. The AFL just have
to WANT to do it. They don't.

[KSAS]

Interestingly in the week post the GF there has been media discussions on whether the GF should be rotated around the country, particularly in the light how well it was presented at Optus stadium last Saturday. Don't think any serious push will come out of it with the MCG being locked away for the next 40 years, but at least it opened up some eyes down here in Vic.

I'm curious how many average footy followers were able to get access to tickets last Saturday at Optus stadium, compared to the MCG where only small number tickets is available to members of the competing teams. Most of the 100k crowd is made up of Corporates, MCG & AFL members. I recall sitting back at 2014 GF when game (sadly) was over before half time, noticing at most only a third of the crowd boisterously cheering when either side kicked a goal. I got impression on TV the crowd involvement last Saturday was greater despite the 60k capacity.

[Mel_C]

Apparently Eddie is not going to be allowed into the Peoples Republic of West Australia to see the GF. Gutted.

Apparently he also tried to get his 2 sons in by saying they are "producers" of his media company which is a load of bull@@@@.

Last year his son went with him to QLD and they were caught out partying at a night club.

[barry]

The idea of a rotating grand final as pushed by Damien Barrett has merit. Rather than give it to the highest ranked qualifier, which involves last minute scheduling which the AFL dont want, his idea is to set a 10 year plan, so every 3rd or 4th year its outside the MCG, no matter who gets into it.
eg.
year 1: MCG
year 2: MCG
year 3: Optus
year 4: MCG
year 5: MCG
year 6: MCG
year 7: Adelaide oval
etc, etc.

[KTigers]

Apparently Eddie is not going to be allowed into the Peoples Republic of West Australia to see the GF. Gutted.

[stevoswan]

Deleted: Wrong thread.

[mcs]

Yep, set in stone after today's Vic Covid numbers and continuing lockdown. Great stadium.....should be a great day! I reckon the pandemic is demonstrating how silly the long term locked in GF contract with the MCG is.....let's hope it leads to the same contract being torn up but I can foresee the Vic govt. seeking an extension as 'compensation' for 'missing out'....which the A(V)FL will probably be only too pleased to sign....to look after 'their' fans.

Without knowing the details of the contract, I suspect there are prohibitively high compensation clauses built into it if there was any move to terminate the contract.

I assume there were probably significant $ attached in terms of compensation for just moving the game away last year and now this year, despite the absolute unpredictable nature of the reason for why they have had to be moved. Hence the offsetting benefit of the AFL extending the term of the deal to offset it.

[stevoswan]

It's in Perth, just announced.

Yep, set in stone after today's Vic Covid numbers and continuing lockdown. Great stadium.....should be a great day! I reckon the pandemic is demonstrating how silly the long term locked in GF contract with the MCG is.....let's hope it leads to the same contract being torn up but I can foresee the Vic govt. seeking an extension as 'compensation' for 'missing out'....which the A(V)FL will probably be only too pleased to sign....to look after 'their' fans.

[mcs]

Now that it's highly likely the GF will be played outside of Vic for 2nd year running, I reckon this will generate talk of rotating GF around the different states even though the MCG is contracted for next 40 years. As stadiums across the nation improve, people will question why did the AFL acted upon with such short sightedness as we'd highlighted here on this forum.

I wish KSAS, but it'll never happen. I read that they will extend again the MCG contract (just for a year) as a result of moving this years grand final from there. As much as that would be a fantastic result, it won't happen any time soon sadly