"The home of football"

[2009premiers]

So at the very best we have 75000 seats available for genuine sale. I understand that members will be supporters of the various clubs involved - but there is no doubt the MCC compromises the GF day.

I'd need to know more before about commenting on AFL members, but given the GF is contractually to be played at the MCG, then it wouldn't be beyond the realms to change the AFL membershop details 20 years out.

Personally, I don't want it changed, I just want the ground opened up to the general public. When the next round of negotiations go through - have the GF trreated as a special event with MCC and AFL members not getting priority. I'd imagine if U2 played at the G - members wouldn't get entry(could be wrong)

I understand your sentiment, but the fact is that the grandstands at the MCG have been funded almost entirely (80%+) by the MCC and AFL members. The MCC carries the debt and this is paid by members subscriptions. Entitlements will not change in the contract period at least (2037).

If U2 played the MCG, MCC members would be likely to get a presale and/or subsidised tickets. This is what happened for the Liverpool match last year, NSW v Qld state of origin, Cricket World Cup and Sound Relief concert.

 

[Seeds]

No, but spreading the cost around makes it fairer.

Why should people outside of Victoria have to continually foot the bill of travelling for the Grand final?

Because Victorian taxpayers foot the bill to build a 100,000 seat stadium and taxpayers of other states don't.

 

[BluesMan]

Should never leave the MCG. It wouldnt feel right anywhere else

 

[master bate]

So at the very best we have 75000 seats available for genuine sale. I understand that members will be supporters of the various clubs involved - but there is no doubt the MCC compromises the GF day.

I'd need to know more before about commenting on AFL members, but given the GF is contractually to be played at the MCG, then it wouldn't be beyond the realms to change the AFL membershop details 20 years out.

Personally, I don't want it changed, I just want the ground opened up to the general public. When the next round of negotiations go through - have the GF trreated as a special event with MCC and AFL members not getting priority. I'd imagine if U2 played at the G - members wouldn't get entry(could be wrong)

I'm not saying the MCC doesn't compromise the number of seats. But if MCC members are also club members of the teams playing (or even club supporters) then they are the kind of people we want at the game anyway. Definitely for clubs like Melb, Coll and Essendon who have big MCC representations when they are in grand finals a lot of club members from those teams wont enter in the club member ballots because they'll just use their MCC. Pretty much when Victorian teams are in the grand final the MCC it's not necessarily a huge evil and definitely not as bad as the flat 25k figure sounds. Particularly when the MCC build the place. The MCC wont be giving away it's allotment any time soon.

The 25k or whatever seats that are taken up by AFL corporates and given out to non competing AFL clubs are a much bigger evil especially considering so many of them get loaded in to stupid packages and then sold at ridiculous prices.

 

[2009premiers]

Because Victorian taxpayers foot the bill to build a 100,000 seat stadium and taxpayers of other states don't.

Wrong. Taxpayers paid for about 15,000 of the current seats,while the AFL and MCC paid the rest. That is why AFL and MCC members get access to tickets.

 

[Powerstufff]

Is that really a good enough reason to hold the Grand Final there every year .....

The main reason, apart from a contractual one with the MCC, is it is a 100,000 seat stadium.

... . Whoever finished higher out of two Grand Final combatants gets to play the game at their home ground .... It's not the VFL anymore, and you can't be giving Victorian clubs such a huge advantage over the interstate clubs by guaranteeing that they'll be playing the GF on their home ground ....

It's nobody's home ground on GF day, it's just another oval. Home ground advantage comes from having a large supporter base roaring when there's a sniff of a free and coercing 1-2 from the umpires in a game. At AFL GFs support is invariably 50/50 because of the way ticket availability is structured.

 

[Shoei]

Because Victorian taxpayers foot the bill to build a 100,000 seat stadium and taxpayers of other states don't.

Good job at getting that completely wrong.

 

[Shoei]

Don't go then.

Or move to Victoria.

Or just accept the FACT that the home of Australian Rules Football is the MCG.

Typical vic-centric attitude that pollutes the AFL and the reason there will never be an equal competition.

 

[Amazing Racer]

Bring on another decent AFL stadium that holds 100,000 or more and we can talk.............50,000 is just way too small, regardless of how good the venue is

 

[Kram]

If there is ever another draw and there is a traveling side the replay should be played in their home state

 

[The Speaker]

Typical vic-centric attitude that pollutes the AFL and the reason there will never be an equal competition.

The AFL is a renamed VFL. Until the national competition changes to something else, the MCG will be seen as the only place to hold the GF.

 

[Seeds]

Wrong. Taxpayers paid for about 15,000 of the current seats,while the AFL and MCC paid the rest. That is why AFL and MCC members get access to tickets.

And which state do all those Mcc members belong as well as the majority of Afl wealth come from? Plus the stadium held 100,000 before the new stands were built anyway. the new stands were just refurbishments. they didn't add to the capacity.

 

[DangerSloane]

The G is the best ground for it.
100k
atmosphere (although Adelaide Oval rules in that regard)
history
the build up

I'm a staunch south aussie, but happy for the GF to stay at the G.

 

[JackOutback]

It's a valid question... it is an anomaly that is exacerbated when there are two interstate sides playing. And don't give me this 'spiritual home of football' bullshit. That's marketing claptrap that doesn't mean anything to people outside of Victoria anyway (i.e half the teams in the AFL).

That said, it is the best solution at the moment, because the MCG is still the best ground with the biggest capacity.

But Sydney has Homebush, Perth will soon have a 60,000 seat stadium with the potential to go out to 70,000, so there is potential to change in the future. I would hate to see a Dockers/Eagles or Adelaide/Port grand final at the MCG, filled with many neutrals.

In time, they should look taking it to other states/supporters, but that is still a long way off.

 

[Docker Alyssa]

The hypocrisy of football fans staying silent when they benefit from a perceived advantage whilst going absolutely mental when another club benefits from a perceived advantage.

But the GF was always at the MCG. Saying you are at a disadvantage when every interstate side has the reality of traveling, is silly. Especially since you've won 2 flags in 10 years doing it - hardly screams disadvantage?

Just because your team is "big" on field this particular year doesn't mean your state deserves to strip the AFL of tradition and host a game at a morgue with less capacity.

If this thread was really started by a swans supporter it's even more useless/pointless/dumb than I thought.

 

[Jedi01]

Yep lets get the GF to Sydney.

They are staunch sports supporters, at least 50 people would turn up for the GF parade and min 2,000 to ANZ stadium.

 

[Mick63]

Awesome tradition, keep it the way it is.

As a supporter of an interstate side, it makes the victory that much sweeter.

Bringing the cup home would also be an amazing experience for interstate teams as well. Party all night in Melbourne on the Saturday, catch a few zzzz's (Ha!) on the flight home, then go mental when you get home.

 

[fabulousphil]

The MCG is the home of football, but IMO the GF should be played at highest finishing club that makes it to the GF, if that happens to be Metricon Stadium then so be it.

Chances are the game would be transferred to the Gabba, but if it isn't then so be it.

Never going to happen, but thats how i see it.

 

[Tyler Hodges]

I smell.... ... Excuses

 

[Monkey King]

For those "the VFL is alive and well" critics, back when it was a suburban competition every club had their own home ground but come GF day, off to the MCG is was, regardless of who finished where. That was the challenge of the Grand Final. If you're good enough, you win it, if not, you don't. It's been that way for over 100 years, no matter where your home ground is.

 

[Monkey King]

Sice Etihad and selling home games interstate came into being teams from SA and WA play fewer games at the G during the year than before that.
The AFL should schedule 2 games a year every year at the G for interstate sides. It shouldn't be that hard with so many teams based in Melbourne.

Here's where it's at for me. If GF's are to be played at the MCG then every side needs a minimum level of exposure during each season to mitigate any disadvantage.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

The G is the best ground for it.
100k
atmosphere (although Adelaide Oval rules in that regard)
history
the build up

I'm a staunch south aussie, but happy for the GF to stay at the G.

I'm a staunch Victorian and obviously wouldn't want it moved but interest in your comments.

I would have thought even WA and SA footballers would still see winning the AFL Flag at the MCG as the pinnacle in their field - a bit like scoring a century at Lords.

I understand the parochialism but surely it just wouldn't be the same as holding up the cup at the 'G. Whilst it is clearly harder for interstate fans to attend I think it adds something when the interstate supporters rock into town.

 

[Bayer_]

I'm a staunch Victorian and obviously wouldn't want it moved but interest in your comments.

I would have thought even WA and SA footballers would still see winning the AFL Flag at the MCG as the pinnacle in their field - a bit like scoring a century at Lords.

I understand the parochialism but surely it just wouldn't be the same as holding up the cup at the 'G. Whilst it is clearly harder for interstate fans to attend I think it adds something when the interstate supporters rock into town.

I also think suggesting Adelaide oval is better for atmosphere misses the point of why it's so noisy - it's full of partisan fans, of usually just one team (and never many neutrals). Even if you had a SA Shitfight grand final, you'd still need a huge % of it (in fact a larger % given the ground is half the size) to go to corporate tickets (masquerading as club ticket entitlements, which they scalp), as well as the AFL's own requirements for their life members, VIPs etc (incidentally, it would also destroy AFL and MCC membership).

This is definitely a case of bigger is better.

 

[Ashton Agar]

Leave it as is!! Geeeez!!