The Brisbane Kappa is expected to be named today as the venue for this year’s AFL Grand Final – Decider played for the first time outside of Victoria.
Key points:
- The Premier is to announce that Queensland will host the AFL Grand Final
- About 400 AFL officers and players flew to Sunshine State yesterday
- It is expected to take place in Kaaba
But Kaba is far from the birthplace of the AFL in Victoria, and a major final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will be very different from Mecca.
The Australian Football League, formerly known as the Victorian Football League (VFL), crowns the first team to win the MCG since 1897.
Every major final has been played there, except when the ground was part of a war effort during World War II and was upgraded in 1991.
Already this season, the lack of a foot in the MCG has been the hardest pill to swallow Victorian Dye Hearts.
There will usually be about 45 home and distance matches and a few finals, with about 3 million people watching AFL games at MCG each year.
By 2020, less than a quarter of that number had been played at MCG, with many without a fan due to the Covit-19 stand.
AFL commentator and Collingwood chairman Eddie Maguire says no matter where the venue for the final is announced, it will be emotional for the Victorians.
On Tuesday afternoon, about 400 AFL officers and players boarded three charter flights from Melbourne to Queensland to advance to the final.
Other footprint of Queensland
The NRL has dominated Queensland for more than a century, but by 2020 the Brisbane Francois had fallen to its worst form in decades, and neither was Queensland in the top eight.
Two Queensland AFL teams have not played in a major final since 2004, 17 years since the Brisbane Lions last brought home as prime minister.
But the tide may turn, and the AFL has confirmed that free flight attendants in Queensland have increased by more than 25 per cent this season.
The number of Queenslanders watching Friday night games has risen by 26 per cent, while participation in local competitions is on the rise.
At Gold Coast Suns 24 per cent of fans watch their matches, while attendance at the Brisbane Lions has increased by 19 per cent.
With the government giving away a majority in the AFL tournament this season, MS has asked the Queenslanders to adopt a second inter-state team this season.
“We know this is only one time, and Victoria is watching the AFL as it goes through a very difficult time,” he said Tuesday.
In Queensland’s bid to host the Grand Final, there was a pitch to invest in more legacy projects to build the game’s profile across the state.
The Queensland government has disclosed part of its playing field to the AFL Commission for Hosting Rights, which includes young Queensland players such as Ryden Clark.
“I only saw the Grand Final on TV, and yes, I know it’s always played on the G. But we’ve got a G, here in Queensland – it’s called Kappa,” Clark said.
Excellent atmosphere for attendance
This may be where fans notice the biggest difference.
The AFL Grand Final is usually played in front of more than 100,000 fans at the MCG, while the Kaba will see a maximum of 30,000 crowds on October 24th.
On a positive note, Kaba is undergoing a $ 35 million upgrade, which is in the pipeline from 2019, initially scheduled to be completed before the T20 World Cup, but has since been postponed.
The update is on track to be completed in early October.
Talk about having a good time.
There is heat
If the game is held in Brisbane, the weather will be a significant factor even at 7:00 pm.
The average daily temperature in Melbourne and Brisbane in October varies up to 8 degrees.
Players will definitely notice that October in Brisbane is playing at a maximum of 27C, compared to just 19C in Melbourne.
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