While there was little doubt over the 2024 Grand Final's start time, the AFL has confirmed the start time for this year's season decider.
Remaining with the traditional time of 2:30pm (AEST), the grand final - scheduled for September 28 - will be held in the afternoon at the MCG.
The AFL Commission ticked off the time slot call this week at a meeting in Melbourne, with a collective in favour of remaining in the afternoon slot despite much consideration for a twilight game.
โThe Toyota AFL Grand Final is the best sporting event in the country. It is our competition's biggest moment,โ AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said in a league statement.
โThe 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 the most amazing event in the country, both in the build-up during the week and on that magical last Saturday in September.
โWe 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 gameย ย and come September 28, 100,000 fans marching into the MCG on the Saturday afternoon for the biggest game of the year.โ
The league has confirmed the commission will continue to review the timing of the grand final going forward, with the AFL remaining open to a potential time change.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 AFL Grand Final was held at the Gabba and commenced at 6:30pm under lights, with the following year's decider in Perth held at 5:15pm local time in a twilight slot.
