AFL grand final: Perth will officially host 2021 decider, MCG deal to be extended again

Who, where and when. These are the three pieces of the Grand Final puzzle. The who is still to be played out, the where is confirmed and now we can reveal to you the when. Find out here.

This year’s AFL grand final will be played in Perth.

League boss Gillon McLachlan confirmed on Tuesday afternoon the game’s biggest match is being held outside of Victoria for the second time in two years.

Last year’s playoff at The Gabba between Richmond and Geelong was the first time a grand final had been staged outside Victoria.

Victoria’s ongoing Covid-19 crisis has made it impossible to play this year’s game at the MCG with a crowd.

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Perth Stadium will host the 2021 AFL grand final.

The Brownlow Medal function will also be held in Perth, on Sunday, September 19, to kick off the Grand Final week celebrations.

Sports Minister Martin Pakula joined McLachlan for the announcement, saying it was not safe to rush crowds back to the MCG in under a month.

The AFL has said it wants to play the grand final in front of a crowd.

“Today’s announcement is not what any football loving Victorian wanted to hear, but the health and safety of the wider community has been a priority throughout this season and must continue to be the priority as we all navigate through this pandemic,” McLachlan said.

“We will be back at the MCG, bigger and better in 2022. I do want to acknowledge our supporters who have stuck by the game and stuck by their clubs in record numbers throughout the uncertainty this year. The connection they have with their clubs is unmatched in world sport.

“The announcement today gives us the clarity and time needed to deliver the competing clubs and fans the best Grand Final experience possible, whether that is in stadium for those in WA, or through the Channel 7 broadcast for millions of fans around the country, and indeed the world.”

A start time is yet to be confirmed but the grand final is likely to be a twilight event at Perth Stadium, which would start at 7pm or 7.30pm in Victoria.

Pakula indicated the Melbourne public holiday on September 24 will remain in place.

“A historic and exciting moment for WA” Premier @MarkMcGowanMP on the @AFL announcement that Perth will host the Grand Final.

Has thanked Gillon McLachlan and Richard Goyder for their work: “They’ve been like acrobats making this happen.”@6PR#9News#AFLpic.twitter.com/4z2UeaOdT5

— Jake Battrick (@JakeBattrick) August 31, 2021

Heart still beating! Thank you for the hundreds of thousand who were genuinely concerned.
Yes very sad Grand Final to be played in Perth.
Not the AFL's fault. Just a result of the Vic Govts lack of effort. Could have been held here easily with full vaccinations & Rapid Testing😒

— Jeff Kennett (@jeff_kennett) August 31, 2021

All AFL finals were played in Adelaide and Tasmania last weekend.

On Friday night, Geelong will tackle Greater Western Sydney in Perth, while Brisbane will play the Western Bulldogs at 7.20pm on Saturday night.

The preliminary finals will be in Perth and Adelaide on September 10 and 11, and these matches are expected to be followed by a pre-Grand Final bye.

The announcement comes after the Herald Sun reported the AFL would officially move its 2021 grand final to Perth Stadium as early as Tuesday as a deal is brokered to extend the MCG’s contract for the annual season decider to 2059.

The state government has been in daily conversations with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan over the timing of the decision.

But with Victorian premier Daniel Andrews readying himself to officially extend Victoria‘s lockdown past September 2 on Tuesday, the announcement could come in the same press conference or on the same day.

Max Gawn thanks Demons fans after a game in Perth.

The Herald Sun understands a deal will guarantee another season on the MCC contract to host the grand final with the AFL guaranteeing some more regional footy for the state next year.

There will be four extra games at the MCG on top of the four already added through last year’s contract alteration, as well as more AFLW and AFL games in regional areas in coming seasons.

The AFL has said it will play the grand final at Perth Stadium if it is unable to be held in Melbourne because of Covid issues.

The league would secure a significant amount of cash from the WA government, which would also likely hold the Brownlow Medal and even a grand final parade.

The grand final is likely to start between 5pm and 5.30pm on September 25, which would mean the first bounce is 7pm-7.30pm in Melbourne.

The AFL will have a pre-grand final bye which will allows its teams to be in the community in grand final week after quarantine and potentially attending events like the Brownlow count.

The Brownlow Medal could be held on the Sunday before the grand final with an event hosted in Perth and then satellite hubs across the country with players in other states.

Last year the league extended the contract for the MCC to host the grand final to 2058 after Covid forced the league to move the grand final to Brisbane’s Gabba.