- Richmond were great but let’s never have another night grand final
- Night Grand Final must remain
- It might rate better but night grand final is not what footy's about
- Fans ignored in AFL's move to a night grand final
- It is hard to find a single downside to a twilight Grand Final
- Night grand final push is for all the wrong reasons
Should the AFL grand final be at night, rather than in the afternoon?
Last year, due to COVID restrictions in Victoria, a decision was made to have the AFL grand final in Brisbane. To avoid potentially hot weather, it was decided that the grand final should start at 7:30pm, rather than the traditional 2:30 start. TV stations welcomed the news, as they felt they could draw bigger crowds - including overseas fans. The CEO of the AFL, Gillon McLaughlan called it “an exciting
opportunity” to see the game in a new way. Others who supported a night time match described the opportunity for an entertainment spectacular, with fireworks and music.
However, many players and fans were not so keen on the idea of a night time match. Some argued that an evening time slot would make it difficult for families with young children, because letting small children stay up until the game ended at 10:30 was too late. Others pointed out that having the grand final during the day was part of AFL tradition, and it allows for BBQs and family get-togethers, not just people watching television for entertainment.
The grand final itself had the highest television ratings ever, which lead many commentators to say it had been a success, but detractors pointed out that COVID restrictions meant that more people were unable to attend the match or go to their local pub to watch in a bigger group and having more people watch as individuals would have affected the ratings.