Brisbane Lions preparing for Gabba matches being played behind closed doors

Guests to Brisbane Lions’ season launch were given stringent health procedures to follow, however taking every precaution may not be enough to prevent closed games at the Gabba.

Charlie Cameron in action at a packed Gabba last year. Picture: Adam Head

Lions chairman Andrew Wellington does not know if Brisbane will be forced to play home games at an empty Gabba due to the coronavirus.

But he is certain that the No.1 priority for the club is the health of its players, coaches, staff, sponsors and supporters.

Brisbane launched their 2020 AFL season at Southbank on Wednesday night when guests were given hand sanitiser on entry and asked to adhere to a “no handshake” policy as part of the club following the Department of Health’s Prevention of Spread of Infectious Diseases guidelines.

Guests were also asked to wash their hands regularly and cover their mouths when they coughed or sneezed.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan flagged on Tuesday the prospect of matches being played in front of empty stadiums in Melbourne “if mass gatherings are suspended” by the Victorian Government.

Wellington attended the meetings with fellow club bosses in Melbourne on Tuesday when they were briefed about coronavirus contingencies.

He said the coronavirus issue was “fluid” with constant updates changing the landscape.

“The Victorian Premier (Daniel Andrews) seems to be indicating there’s an expectation that at some point they might be restricting large gatherings of people. They just don’t know when,’’ Wellington said.

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Lions fans celebrate a Daniel McStay goal at the Gabba last season. Picture: Getty Images

“We don’t know if that will be necessary here or not. We’ll deal with it if we have to.

“We, like other organisations, will have to sit down with Stadiums Queensland and talk to them and get their perspective about what are some of the measures that we should be putting in place.

“I’m sure we’ll be talking to the government about what their intentions and plans are. But they will be like everyone else and having to deal with things as they arise.

“The governments have their experts looking into this and we’ll take the advice. We’ll take the right measures, the appropriate measures of the time.’’

Brisbane’s first game at the Gabba is on Saturday, March 28 when they host North Melbourne in an AFL/AFLW double-header.

He said the wellbeing of “stakeholders” was paramount.

“Our players, our staff and our supporters ... their health is top of mind. We want to look after them, first and foremost,’’ Wellington said.

“We should take some comfort from whatever impact there is, it should be temporary. It will be inconvenient and we won’t like it at the time but it will be temporary and we are here for the long term.’’

The Lions begin their 2020 campaign on Sunday week against Hawthorn at the MCG.

Wellington said the club was in good financial shape after posting their first profit for 12 years in 2019.

“That shouldn’t limit our ambitions to continue to grow the club, continue to grow our membership, our partnerships both corporate and community. We want to keep getting better,’’ he said.

“The community are getting on board. In a sense, we are in the entertainment business and last year the men’s team were entertaining and you can’t underestimate the broader power of the AFLW competition either.

“A lot of people who go to our AFLW games haven’t been to AFL games before and it broadens our base.’’