AFL

AFL again resists pull of grand final under lights

By AAP Newswire

Aug 1, 2024

The AFL grand final is keeping its traditional afternoon time slot, at least for this year. -AAP Image

The AFL has again resisted the urge to stage a twilight or night grand final, locking in the traditional 2.30pm start time for this year's decider.

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But the league admitted it would continue to weigh up the merits of a later bounce on a yearly basis.

AFL boss Andrew Dillon said the league's commission signed off on his recommendation to keep the grand final in the afternoon during a meeting in Melbourne on Thursday.

"The AFL grand final is the best sporting event in the country. It is our competition's biggest moment," Dillon said.Â

"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.

"We have had such an incredible season so far, more than 6.5 million fans attending games, 1.2 million members, the biggest crowds in the history of the game and come September 28, 100,000 fans marching into the MCG on the Saturday afternoon for the biggest game of the year."

The AFL has only staged two grand finals under lights - in 2020 (at the Gabba) and 2021 (Optus Stadium) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Richmond won the grand final under lights at the Gabba in 2020. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

Broadcasters and commercial partners have pushed for a later start due to financial reasons, but fans have made it clear they would strongly prefer the grand final to remain during the day.