Plan to cap FNQ footy fans

Cazalys Stadium’s upcoming AFL games are set to be capped for fans to ensure social distancing guidelines are followed. Find out how many people will be able to get into the footy.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 10: Devon Smith during an Essendon Bombers AFL training session at Metricon Stadium on August 10, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

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Cazalys Stadium’s upcoming AFL games are set to be capped at 4500 fans to ensure social distancing guidelines are followed.

AFL Cairns officials are this week set to meet with Queensland Health to finalise a plan, with the four games to be contested in FNQ in just under a months time.

The AFL is yet to reveal which teams are coming to Cairns and when they will actually be played, but an announcement is expected later this week, with games to be held in early September.

When Cazalys Stadium hosted AFL games annually between 2011-2018, the venue averaged around 9000 fans at each game.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 10: Michael Hurley during an Essendon Bombers AFL training session at Metricon Stadium on August 10, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

With a strong possibility FNQ’s games will be played midweek as the AFL again looks to condense the final rounds of the season, the figure of 4500 should give plenty of fans an opportunity to see the best in Australia.

The first two rows of the stadium will need to be empty to keep fans away from players, under coronavirus guidelines, while 350 people will be allowed in the Cazalys grandstand, down from 1000 at full capacity.

“If they are a nice balmy evening, we would like to think we would get a good crowd,” AFL Cairns boss Gary Young said.

“This week we will work with Queensland Health on how he break up the hill, developing something that is satisfactory to them.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 10: Joe Daniher and Martin Gleeson during an Essendon Bombers AFL training session at Metricon Stadium on August 10, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

“We were always planning to checkerboard the hill with 1.5 sqm squares and break it up that way.”

Young as well as other AFL Cairns staff last week travelled to the Gold Coast to witness how the Suns and other AFL staff have worked to keep the Metricon Stadium facility coronavirus safe over the last few months, so they can do the same with Cazalys.

“Metricon were excellent in the time they gave us, they gave us three hours to sit us down, talked us through stuff and gave us a complete tour of all aspects of the stadium,” Young said. “We were able to go everywhere except the players rooms, which need to be cleaned and sealed off, which will be the same when we host games.”

Ushers and security staff will patrol the Cazalys Stadium far hill to make sure people are staying socially distanced during games.

Originally published as Plan to cap FNQ footy fans