AFL boss ‘blown away’ by WA with more major events for Perth flagged

Western Australia’s warm embrace of the biggest sporting event on the country’s calendar and heartfelt empathy for those who traditionally host it will be reciprocated with more big-ticket blockbuster events in the future.

An impressed AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan admitted he was blown away by the reaction and support from WA football fans to Saturday’s historic twilight grand final at Optus Stadium.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn and Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli with the AFL Premiership Cup at Kings Park.Credit: Michael Wilson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

He said public reaction to decider between Melbourne and Western Bulldogs in front of a sell-out 60,000-strong crowd had caught him off guard.

Sentiment from the league boss came as excitement reached new heights on Friday at Perth’s sparkling $1.8 billion venue and in the Perth CBD, with the countdown to the 5.15pm bouncedown in the west under way.

The Demons and Bulldogs held open training sessions in front of thousands of passionate home-town fans at Optus Stadium on Friday morning, before players from both clubs were accompanied by brass bands down Murray Street and to Forrest Place – dubbed ‘Footy Place’ – for a ‘People’s Parade’.

At the same time, VIPs were being wined and dined at the AFL’s official grand final luncheon at Crown Perth, one of several big-ticket, corporate events held in Perth throughout the week.

Fans march down Murray Street in Perth’s CBD during the People’s Parade ahead of the 2021 AFL grand final, at Optus Stadium. Credit: Getty Images

It is the second consecutive year the league has been forced to shift its biggest event away from the traditional home of the MCG because of the pandemic.

“There’s a huge energy and demand that I took for granted,” Mr McLachlan told 6PR on Friday.

“What’s struck me is how appreciative West Australians are. There’s a respect and an empathy for the loss the Victorians are feeling.”

WA’s unprecedented record response to Ticketmaster’s sale of 10,250 public tickets to Saturday’s decider, and outpouring of support for the AFL’s showpiece Dreamtime match in June, convinced the league the west deserved more showtime events.

“We might have a silver lining for West Australians, where there’ll be more big games coming to this town,” Mr McLachlan said.

“I’m confident about that. We know this is a football town.”

He admitted trepidation would not subside until fans began filling the stadium after gates open at 12pm on Saturday, following a season severely hampered logistically and characterised by hubs, empty stadiums and last-minute fixture changes.

“When people start filing in, that’ll be a big part of the relief,” Mr McLachlan said.

The love and feeling in the west for our interstate guests and those abroad extended to the Fremantle cheer squad, who had been helping their counterparts at the Demons with the banner process at Optus Stadium.

At Footy Place on Friday afternoon, Demons and Bulldogs players joined other AFL teams, coaches and mascots, and thousands of punters to welcome the parade at 1.30pm, with WA’s COVID-19 scare earlier in the week now an afterthought.

AFL chairman Richard Goyder said the Dreamtime dress rehearsal in June had convinced the league Perth was the ideal location for the 2021 grand final if Melbourne’s lockdowns continued.

“The Dreamtime game showed the passion of football fans here and made people take notice,” he told 6PR on Friday.