AFL boss Gillon McLachlan wants to continue using ANZ Stadium as a finals venue
JUST when you thought we’d seen the last of ANZ Stadium as a finals venue, AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has opened the door to games still being played at the venue if the proposed redevelopment doesn’t go ahead.
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AFL boss Gillon McLachlan wants to continue using ANZ Stadium as a finals venue if the proposed redevelopment does not go ahead.
The ground has drawn the nine biggest AFL crowds outside Melbourne in the game’s history and can hold at least 30,000 more fans than the SCG.
“If it stayed as an oval that would be good for us,” McLachlan said.
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“We think the Giants there in a preliminary final ... that’s the right capacity and we’ve shown that when we had 60-odd thousand for the final there two years ago.”
The last AFL match at ANZ Stadium was the 2016 qualifying final between the Swans and Giants, which drew a crowd of 62,222.
Since then GWS membership has pushed past the 20,000 mark and is set to grow to 25,000 this year.
The Giants’ home ground of Spotless Stadium holds around 25,000 and hosted the 2016 preliminary final which they lost to eventual premiers the Western Bulldogs.
The AFL now believes GWS has the drawing capacity to host a preliminary final at ANZ Stadium which doesn’t involve the Swans.
The only way another Sydney derby would be played at ANZ is if the Giants finished higher on the ladder and therefore hosted the match.
The Swans will always host finals at their spiritual home, the SCG.
The AFL lobbied the NSW government last year to keep ANZ Stadium’s oval configuration.
“We put our views to government,” McLachlan said regarding the $2.5 billion Sydney redevelopment.
“But we understand given the volumes of games we play out there, we aren’t a big voice.”
Another arguably bigger problem for the AFL in Sydney is a lack of a second elite ground in the eastern or inner-city suburbs.
If the SCG is unavailable, the only suitable venue for the Swans’ reserves to use is in Blacktown.
“We are working on a lot of different options,” McLachlan said.
“I feel confident of an outcome. Space is at a premium and it’s competitive, so we are working with AFLNSW and the Swans and we just need to get somewhere.”
McLachlan is also working with the Swans to find a suitable training and administration site. The current facility at the back of the Brewongle Stand is outdated and inadequate.
“We’re working with the Swans,” McLachlan said.
“We need to get a result for the footy club and for the players. They are bidding for venues now, so the process is live.”