NRL Grand Final to return to Sydney’s Accor Stadium

Weeks of speculation in Sydney’s media that the NRL Grand Final would again be staged in Brisbane have been ended today with the announcement that Accor Stadium will host the game on Sunday 2nd October.

With the NSW Government pledging "additional investment" to secure the match, Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) Chair Peter V'landys today confirmed a one-year deal to keep the game in Sydney, the nation’s largest rugby league market.

Reports had suggested that V'landys has been in dispute with the NSW Government after it abandoned plans to upgrade suburban rugby league infrastructure in Sydney, with indications that he had threatened to move the NRL decider interstate.

However, while V'landys is reported to still be seeking hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in at least three suburban stadia, he advised that “further discussions” will take place for matches beyond 2022, suggesting the idea of a "Super Bowl-type concept" where the decider could be moved around the country to the highest bidding location.

V'landys advised that “we were hoping we would have an exclusive arrangement with the NSW Government (but) unfortunately, that is no longer the case. It opens the door for a Super Bowl-type concept or, who can give us the best deal for the game.

“After extensive negotiations we have made a decision which we believe is in the best interests of our fans and that is to hold the game in Sydney this year.”

With the NSW Government having frequently changed policy on stadium development over the past decade, its most recent commitment has been to redevelop Brookvale Oval, Leichhardt Oval, Shark Park and Penrith Stadium.

However, with restrictions on its finances as a result of the pandemic, the last NSW Government budget provided no funds for stadium development while former NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayres said it had been made clear to the NRL that limitations exist in its finances.

Earlier this month, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced that funds promised to revamp suburban grounds were instead needed to support the victims of NSW's flood crisis.

V’landys went on to say that the Queensland Government had been close to securing the hosting rights for the Grand Final in Brisbane, adding "up until last night's Commission meeting, if you asked me then I would say it would go to Queensland.”

With the exception of last year when the match was moved to Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions, Sydney has hosted the NRL Grand Final every year since its inception.

Guardian Australia suggested that the NSW Government’s additional investment to attract the Grand Final was in the region of $8 million.

Advising that decision to host the game at Accor Stadium was “the right outcome for rugby league”, Premier Perrottet added “NSW has always been the home of rugby league and our government has made record investments in the sport.

“We’ve invested more than $1.5 billion in all levels of the game, from grassroots, to funding for regional content, to the very best purpose-built rugby league infrastructure in the world.”

Image: The 2017 NRL Grand Final at the then ANZ Stadium - now Accor Stadium.