Victorian stadiums to be allowed 100% capacity for upcoming AFL Season

The AFL has released a statement advising that there will be 100% capacity at Victorian stadiums as of round one of its 2022 competition.

Following the Victorian Government announcing the easing of many Coronavirus restrictions yesterday, the statement confirmed that “100% capacity crowds at the MCG, Marvel Stadium, GMHBA Stadium and Mars Stadium will be in play to begin the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.”

Set to commence on Wednesday 16th March, the competition will follow the last round of the NAB AFL Women’s season, and will see all 10 Victorian AFL teams will play in Melbourne in Round One with five games over five days.

A rematch of the 2021 Toyota AFL Grand Final will kick off the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership season as reigning Premiers Melbourne unfurl their flag and begin their premiership defence against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG the 16th March showpiece.

Looking forward to the season, AFL Chief Executive, Gillon McLachlan stated “we want to get big crowds back to the footy, the weekly ritual of being able to go to a game and the sense of community it creates, connecting families and friends is something we have missed in the state.

“On behalf of the AFL I would like to thank the Victorian State Government, specifically Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula and Minister for Health Martin Foley for continuing to work with us and safely get as many fans back to the footy as possible.

“We have a big finish to our AFLW home and away season which again has been warmly embraced by fans and supporters across the state, rolling straight into our AFL season and the Grand Final rematch on the Wednesday night at the MCG.

“Our AFLW Finals series and start of our AFL Season is an exciting time for fans, we look forward to seeing crowds return to our venues in huge numbers as well as to all the surrounding business and venues that rely on footy and big events being staged across the city.”

Victorian Government guidelines will require fans to check-in on entry at venues with the Services Victoria app to confirm their vaccination status.

Masks will be required when moving around major events with more than 30,000 people, however not when patrons are seated outdoors.

Venues with a capacity of less than 30,000, including Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium (which is under development) and MARS Stadium, do not require approval to host capacity crowds under current COVIDSafe Settings.

Will crowds return?
While venues in Victoria will be able to operate at full capacity for the AFL season, a question exists as to whether fans will return - as a result of ongoing personal concerns about safety in crowds and changing consumer habits as a result of lockdowns.

Declining attendance figures for the 2021/22 BBL season, reaching a new low, with an average of just 7371 spectators per game, could be attributed to COVID.

The A-League is currently averaging just 6260 per game - up on last year’s impacted season, but otherwise the lowest in the competition’s history while the NBL’s average attendance this season is 4759 - again, up on last year, but down on the heights of 2019/20 when the average was 7003. Crowds for AFLW games have also fallen to just 1801 per game - the lowest ever for the AFL women’s competition and down from almost 6000 prior to COVID.

Images: AFL at Marvel Stadium (credit: Marvel Stadium) and Melbourne take on the Western Bulldogs during the 2021 AFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium (credit: VenuesLive).