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Victoria’s contract to host the AFL Grand Final will be extended by one year to 2058 as compensation for this year’s season finale being held in Brisbane.

With the Victorian Government today announcing that is has agreed to the relocation of the AFL Grand Final from the MCG for one year, it has been quick to advise that a year has been be added to the MCG’s multi-decade long Grand Final contract.

This year’s AFL Grand Final (on Saturday 24th October) has been relocated to the Gabba in Brisbane  as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic having made it impossible to plan with certainty for an event to be held with crowds in Melbourne in late October.

Accepting this situation, the Victorian Government has also acted to ensure that the MCG will also receive extra games in the 2022 and 2023 seasons and Victoria will host the 2021 and 2022 AFL National Drafts.

Confirmation of the Grand Final date also means that the Victorian Government has locked in the popular AFL Grand Final eve public holiday for Friday 23rd October - with the day described as a ‘Thank You’ for Victorians who have made so many sacrifices as part of the community effort to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

The MCG first hosted the Grand Final in 1902 and under the terms of the new agreement between the Victorian Government and the AFL confirmed last night, the match will be played at the ground until at least 2058 - a one-year extension on the existing contract.

In addition, the MCG has been guaranteed an extra two contracted games in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, taking the minimum number of AFL games at the ground in each year to 45.

Commenting on the relocation of the Grand Final, Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula stated “the pandemic is a life and death battle and we cannot risk our hard-fought gains for the sake of rushing back to crowds before it is safe.”

AFL Chief Executive, Gillon McLachlan added “the Victorian Government has been a long-term partner and supporter of our game and a driving force behind the growth of our game. We know this is a tough time for all Victorians and our thoughts are with the Victorian community as we continue to deal with the impacts of this pandemic.”

“We look forward to returning our Grand Final to the MCG in 2021.”

Image: Teams line up before the 2019 AFL Grand Final at the MCG. Courtesy of Rusty Nail/Creative Commons.

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