As Crows prepare to face Lions in AFLW grand final, fans are preparing to snap up the tickets
Ella King might be only nine, but she already knows she wants to be a Crows AFLW player one day. She can’t wait to cheer them on in the 2021 Grand Final.
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Ella King isn’t just hopeful her beloved Crows will take home the AFLW premiership cup this weekend – she’s tipping a five-goal thumping of the Brisbane Lions.
The nine-year-old has been to every home game this season and will be at Saturday’s 2017 grand final rematch at Adelaide Oval, with her parents Emily and James, and brother Harry, 7.
“I find it really inspiring to watch the players doing their stuff,” the Wattle Park resident said.
“The Crows girls are my role models.”
Ella, who has been playing footy for the last two years at Glenunga Football Club, said she loves to watch the team play, including favourite players Erin Phillips, Chelsea Randall and Ebony Marinoff.
She knows the names and numbers of the entire squad, and one day wants to be an AFLW player.
Tickets to Saturday’s Big Dance go on sale on Tuesday afternoon, with AFLW members getting first pick, and there are special hospitality packages on offer for SACA members.
Adelaide Oval’s capacity currently capped at 40,000.
In 2019, more than 53,000 people streamed through the gates to watch the Crows beat Carlton and be crowned premiers.
A spokesperson for the Stadium Management Authority said Adelaide Oval was thrilled to be able to host its second AFLW grand final.
“The 2019 game at Adelaide Oval made history; it was an amazing spectacle and next weekend’s game promises to be another fantastic event,” the spokesperson said.
“At this stage, we are planning for the game under our existing COVID Management Plan at which capacity is capped at 40,000 and, as always, we remain in close consultation with SA Health as crowd restrictions around the country continue to ease.
“We can’t wait to welcome another huge crowd of passionate and vocal footy fans to watch the very best the women’s game has to offer next weekend.”
Crows’ new chief executive Tim Silvers praised his club’s women players for their achievements in 2021.
“It’s an incredible achievement to be playing in a third grand final in just five years, and a credit to our players, coaches and the many support staff behind the scenes,” he said.
“Our squad is full of players who are not only great athletes but also outstanding role models off the field and they have been a driving force in growing the game in South Australia.
“We can’t wait to see Crows members and fans turn out in big numbers to support them on Saturday.”
On Monday, the AFL is expected to announcement who it has signed as the grand final entertainment. In 2019, chart-topper Amy Shark was the pre-game entertainment.
And for the first time in AFLW history, there will be a Grand Final Sprint – a much-loved feature of the men’s grand final – where a representative from each AFLW club will compete in a 100m sprint along the 50m arc to claim the title of the fastest player in the league.
The grand final will a rematch of the 2017 premiership decider – played in the inaugural year of the women’s competition – which the Crows won by six points at Metricon.
Saturday’s grand final will be the third appearance in the “big dance” for both sides but while the Crows won the premiership cup in 2017 and 2019, the Lions have lost both their appearances (to Adelaide in 2017 and the Western Bulldogs in 2018).
Originally published as As Crows prepare to face Lions in AFLW grand final, fans are preparing to snap up the tickets
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