The AFL has made a call on whether tradition will be upheld with the announcement of when the 2023 Grand Final will be played.
AFL: The AFL 360 panel is joined by Andrew Dillon to chat through the best time to start the AFL Grand Final.
The league revealed its decision following an AFL Commission meeting on Wednesday, with chief executive Gillon McLachlan saying the executive and commission shared a “strong view” that the game should be held at its traditional time.
It comes after the annual AFL Fans Association survey revealed in March an overwhelming majority of fans still wanted the game to be held during the day despite the TV ratings success of night and twilight grand finals in Brisbane and Perth during the pandemic years.
Almost three quarters (73 per cent) of fans said they wanted the event to remain during the day, while 21 per cent said they would prefer a twilight grand final.
More than 100,000 people were in the stands at the MCG as Geelong thumped the Swans and Robbie Williams put on a stunning halftime show at the 2022 Grand Final. Picture: Mark Stewart
McLachlan said the decision over the grand final start time would continue to be made on a year-to-year basis.
“The Toyota AFL Grand Final is the biggest and best sporting event in the country. It is our game’s biggest moment, and this year the bounce of the ball will again be at 2:30pm,” McLachlan said.
“The commission will continue to review the start time for future grand finals. The AFL’s role is to deliver the best possible game experience, both for fans at the ground and for the millions watching the broadcast, and together with our broadcast partner the Seven Network, we remain committed to creating an amazing event, both in the build-up during the week and culminating in 100,000 fans at the MCG.
“The fans this season have been incredible with more than three million fans attending matches across the first nine rounds – the biggest and loudest crowds in the history of the game to this point of the season – and come the last Saturday in September, it will be by far the biggest event of the year.”