AFLW 2024: Grand final will be held in Saturday night timeslot

The AFLW is overhauling the end of the finals series in a shift that the league says will help grow the game to new audiences.

A night grand final will be held for the first time in AFLW history in a ruling by the league commission that could also push the men’s decider under lights next year.

AFLW boss Emma Moore said the move to stage the match at 7.45pm eastern daylight time on Saturday, November 30 would “expose more people to our great game”.

Ikon Park (North Melbourne and Hawthorn), Springfield (Brisbane) and Norwood Oval (Adelaide) were the most likely venues to hold the clash, with the host to again be the top-ranked preliminary finals winner.

AFL football boss Laura Kane ruled out the prospect of Marvel Stadium being used if a Victorian side hosted the Grand Final.

The AFL has confirmed a night AFLW grand final will be held for the first time on November 30. Picture: Martin Keep / Getty Images

Kane said the AFLW had the chance to “do things differently” to the AFL when it came to its grand final time, but when asked whether the men’s competition could follow suit, she said: “I don’t expect that question to slow”.

“We obviously experimented with twilight (grand finals) during Covid – this is different … this takes into account really clear growth, metrics and inputs,” Kane said on Wednesday.

“This decision was made by (the AFL Commission), which we welcomed. The decision for the men’s will continue to be made by the commission.

“But I think here we have an opportunity to do things differently. We don’t have the same history, we have a different proposition, a different product, and we think we can do things to mix it up a little bit.”

Moore, who is in her first season as AFLW general manager, said the change to a night game could bring in new audiences.

“This will enable more people to watch the biggest game on the AFLW calendar, exposing more people to our great game and an unforgettable atmosphere to close the season,” she said.

“It will also create a dazzling spectacle for the grand final entertainment, which will be announced shortly.”

Hawthorn’s round 10 AFLW win handed Hawks men’s and women’s players significant cash bonuses, as they claimed the $1m McClelland Trophy prize – even though Brisbane could win both premierships. Picture: Michael Willson / Getty Images

The timeslot chosen meant that if fifth-placed Fremantle was to host the decider, it would technically be a twilight fixture with a 4.45pm start local time.

Adelaide and Port Adelaide champion Erin Phillips will be the AFLW premiership cup ambassador, with Tasmania added to the national tour the cup takes during the finals.

Moore also swatted away criticism of the points system for the $1m McClelland Trophy, which Hawthorn won narrowly from Brisbane due to the Hawks’ superior combined home-and-away record across the men’s and women’s teams.

It comes after the Lions, who finished runners-up in the AFL last season and claimed the AFLW flag, already missed out on the 2023 prizemoney to Melbourne, who had both teams knocked out of the finals in straight sets.

“I think the beauty of the McClelland Trophy is it actually gives us something that rewards home-and-away performance,” Moore said.

“It sits in a beautiful spot in terms of allowing us to highlight what’s going on during the home-and-away season for each club, so I think that’s really unique, so I can’t imagine why we would review that.”

Originally published as AFLW 2024: Grand final will be held in Saturday night timeslot