Families and partners of AFL players permitted to attend game in trial run for finals, but only under strict conditions
Families and partners living in team hubs have not been permitted to attend AFL games … until now. The league has staged a trial run ahead of the looming finals series, with those cheering from the stands facing strict rules.
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Families and partners of players and club staff in “hub mode” were on Saturday permitted to attend a game for the first time this season.
As part of a trial for the upcoming finals series, the AFL permitted around 25 people from the Western Bulldogs’ travelling party to attend Saturday’s clash with Melbourne at Metricon Stadium.
But — like everything this season — it wasn’t without strict protocols in place.
The family members and officials, who are housed in the team’s nearby hub and subjected to the same COVID-19 testing requirements and “Stage 3-like” restrictions as players, were driven to the stadium shortly before the game started and escorted to a designated seating area.
The game was selected specifically for the trial due to the expectation that crowd numbers in a match between two Melbourne teams would make it manageable to oversee.
They had dedicated bathroom facilities to use and had no access to food and beverage outlets.
They also had to observe strict social distancing. Children were also permitted to attend.
There was no access permitted to the changerooms after the game, with those who attended transported back to the hub immediately after the game.
The league — which has had strict guidelines in place for who can attend games — is set to make a call on where the finals series and Grand Final will be staged this week, possibly as soon as Tuesday.
North Melbourne was fined earlier in the season after a group of partners attended a game, of the belief that they had permission from the AFL to attend.
But as finals loom, the league is conscious of the wish of many families to attend games — particularly the Grand Final — and will assess the process.
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Originally published as Families and partners of AFL players permitted to attend game in trial run for finals, but only under strict conditions