No AFL crowds in Victoria for at least a fortnight despite lockdown lifting

AFL matches will continue to be played in Victoria without crowds for at least the next fortnight, adding more uncertainty to whether the MCG will retain the grand final.

Victoria will end a two-week lockdown at 11.59pm on Tuesday but Premier Daniel Andrews said AFL matches will continue to be held behind closed doors for at least rounds 20 and 21.

An empty MCG.Credit:Getty Images

This means that round 22 is the earliest possible return for grounds to reopen to supporters, which is only three weeks, including a bye, from the beginning of the finals in September, and seven weeks from the grand final.

“There will be no crowd at the footy, no crowd at large events, theatres, all those sorts of gatherings for at least two weeks,” Andrews said on Tuesday.

“Again, I know that is not necessarily news people want to hear, but there is significant good news in here and it has to be, and significant freedom, but we also have to be cautious, this has not gone away, it is under control, but it is, obviously, in our country.

“We just can’t have crowds at the footy, but we will be able to have crowds at the footy at some point. The question becomes how will they be spread out? How big will the crowd be?

“I think Victorians would expect us to look at those matters and we are in the context of Delta, in the context of this outbreak, in the context of that continuous learning process, because you learn from every case. You learn from every outbreak.”

Andrews said vaccinations shape as the way for major crowds to return for the finals.

“Ultimately, the biggest crowds will be once we get everyone through the vaccination and that’s some months away,” Andrews said.

“Let’s hope we hit all those horizons that [Lieutenant] General [John] Frewen has talked about and we can vaccinate many more people so as we look to the summer and beyond.”

The AFL continues to be directed by the government and health officials, and maintains there is plenty of time before a final call on the grand final has to be made.

A crowd of less than 50 per cent at the MCG could prompt it to shift the grand final to Perth, Adelaide, or last year’s grand final host, Brisbane. Joondalup Resort in Perth has reserved all bookings from the middle of August until late September.

It has been noted that it took seven weeks for crowds to be capped at 40 per cent after lockdown four in Melbourne.

Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.

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