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Finals to be played away from MCG?
Posted Aug 6, 2010 - 8:19 AM
By Mr Dandalooa
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has controversially raised the idea of the 2011 AFL grand final be played at a venue that’s not the MCG.
News reports this week said a prospective scheduling clash with cricket could force the AFL to break an age-old tradition.
As the expanded 17-team AFL competition comes into effect next year, the league could shift the grand final back one week to October 1, rather than the traditional last Saturday in September.
Cricket has the contractual rights to the MCG on that date and the AAP has reported Demetriou “threw a verbal grenade into the debate on Thursdayâ€.
“We might have to play it elsewhere, the way things are going,” he said.
“It seems a bit interesting that Cricket Victoria want to all of a sudden have the ground unavailable on October 1, when there’s no cricket on.
“I think it’s strange, hopefully some common sense will prevail.”
Demetriou said was scathing of Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide who he reportedly assumed had come from the Melbourne Cricket Club.
Dodemaide said they were in the midst of doing a detailed impact assessment for the board on what the possible implications might be for cricket.
It was a “very high priorityâ€, he said.
Dodemaide said compensation had not been a factor in Cricket Victoria’s thinking.
Dodemaide admitted it would be unusual for the MCG to host cricket in early October, but he pointed out the ground would also have to be on standby for October 8 in case of a drawn grand final.
Another potential factor is how quickly ground staff can prepare the MCG for cricket after the grand final.
The AFL could shift the grand final to Sydney after its agreement with the MCG expires in 2032.
The AFL last week told the MCC and the MCG Trust that it was willing to move the grand final when the agreement finished in 2032.
By then, the AFL also will be the owner of Etihad Stadium, which becomes AFL property in 2025.
The AFL has specifically mentioned Sydney where the presumed venue would be ANZ Stadium at Homebush as one of the options for hosting post-2032 grand finals.
MCC chief executive Stephen Gough confirmed that AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick made those comments to the chairman of the MCG Trust, John Wylie, during last week’s meeting attended by Andrew Demetriou and senior MCC officials, including Gough and MCC chairman David Meiklejohn.
Gough said the MCG officials responded that it made sense for the biggest game of the season to be played at the stadium that could accommodate the largest attendance.
Another, more imminent, threat raised by the AFL has been the prospect of reviving Carlton’s home, Visy Park, as a venue for low-drawing games, with the league having commissioned a feasibility study that will cost up to $100,000.
