AFL announces Grand Final to stay in Saturday afternoon timeslot this season

AFL Commissioners stood by tradition by keeping the AFL grand final in the Saturday afternoon timeslot for 2019 with a twilight timeslot looking likely in future years.

Australian football’s biggest game — the AFL grand final — will continue to be played as a Saturday afternoon event in 2019, but the league is not taking the twilight option off its agenda in 2020. Picture: Michael Dodge (Getty Images)

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For the 123rd time the AFL grand final will remain in a Saturday afternoon timeslot — just as the majority of football fans want this year.

This leaves this season’s premiership playoff to start at 2.30pm Melbourne time (2pm SA time) on Saturday, September 28.

But the move for a twilight grand final remains inevitable, particularly to spark up the auction for AFL television rights in 2021, a year before the current record $2.5 billion deal expires.

The AFL Commission on Thursday, in a two-hour meeting at the game’s Melbourne headquarters, opted to avoid the “inevitable” move to a 4.30pm start.

Swans and Bulldogs players line up for the national anthem ahead of the 2016 AFL Grand Final. Picture: Getty Images

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan announced the 2.30pm timeslot for this year’s grand final at the league’s season launch in Melbourne on Thursday night while keeping the twilight debate on the commission’s annual agenda.

“While we will continue to explore the possibility of a later start time in the future, it was recommended and ratified today that the traditional 2:30pm start time will remain for 2019,” McLachlan said.

“The grand final is the high point of the Australian sporting calendar. A magical day for the competing clubs, footy fans and our industry as a whole,” McLachlan added.

But there are powerbrokers in the game who continue to argue the grand final will be an even bigger event — with “greater atmosphere” — by moving to a twilight event, as has been done by the NRL rugby league.

AFL’s biggest television personality, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, remains eager to “lock in” a night grand final.

“If you want to be the No. 1 rating show in Australia, you’ve got to be on in prime time,” McGuire said at AFL headquarters. “It’s a no-brainer to me … the sooner we do it the better.”

Geelong president — and former AFL commissioner — Colin Carter also is an advocate for a twilight but not a night grand final.

‘‘I’m in favour of a twilight grand final. But I’d be very opposed to a night one,’’ Carter said.

Football fans remain opposed to any change from the 2.30pm timeslot. Survey after survey in the past three years has fans standing by a day grand final with a 70-80 per cent approval rating.

Crows players stand for national anthem ahead of the 2018 AFL grand final. Picture: Sarah Reed

AFL Fans Association president Gerry Eeman welcomed the commission decision and appealed to the league to stop the annual debate on the grand final starting time.

“The polls on this have been consistent for several years, with around two in three supporters preferring an afternoon start,” Eeman said. “Fans are the game’s biggest stakeholder, so unless there is a clear shift in what most fans want, the AFL should leave the game time alone.

“Despite the fans’ clear preference for a day grand final, every year this issue seems to be brought up at AFL House. We are told it is inevitable that the start time must change. Our question is: Why is it inevitable when the vast majority of fans say they want to retain the 2.30pm start?”

The AFL can expect a significant television ratings boost — particularly in the critical NSW and Queensland markets — by a move to a twilight timeslot. This would become a trump card for the league in sparking a fierce auction for the AFL television rights from 2023.

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