AFL makes a big announcement on the start time of this year’s Grand Final

The AFL has again resisted the urge to switch to a lucrative twilight Grand Final, electing to play this year’s decider in the traditional day timeslot.

The AFL Commission ended the yearly debate when it met on Wednesday, locking in a 2.30pm start for the Grand Final to be played at the MCG on September 30.

A whopping 73 per cent of those polled in an AFL Fans Association survey in March want the AFL Grand Final to remain an afternoon affair.

Outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has held firm in his preference for a day Grand Final as he prepares to hand the reins over to Andrew Dillon.

‘The Commission will continue to review the start time for future Grand Finals,’ McLachlan said on Wednesday.

The AFL decider was back in his traditional afternoon slot last year, but viewing figures for the clash between Geelong and Sydney declined sharply

‘The AFL’s role is to deliver the best possible game experience, both for fans at the ground and for the millions watching the broadcast.

Together with our broadcast partner the Seven Network, we remain committed to creating an amazing event, both in the build-up during the week and culminating in 100,000 fans at the MCG.

‘The fans this season have been incredible with more than three million fans attending matches across the first nine rounds – the biggest and loudest crowds in the history of the game to this point of the season – and come the last Saturday in September, it will be by far the biggest event of the year.’

Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire is among those who have vocally supported the move to a later timeslot.

‘We do live in the real world in the AFL. […] This is from a business [perspective] […] We need to get the money in,’ he said during a heated debate on Nine’s Footy Classified last year.

‘If it’s two hours difference and it makes you get two to two and a half million more people in the areas that we’ve spent $100 million to try and get people to watch, why would we put it on at night if we’re trying to get Queensland to build the game?

‘In the No1 and No3 markets in Australia, why would we make it as hard as possible? 

‘It’s called “prime time” for a reason.’

Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has called for the AFL decider to be moved to a twilight slot for financial reasons 

Seven West Media boss James Warburton has also consistently argued for a night Grand Final.

Warburton renewed his push for a night spectacle following a ratings slump in television and streaming ratings during last year’s one-sided Grand Final.

OzTam ratings released last year showed that 2.179 million people watched Geelong thrash Sydney across the five-city metropolitan audience.

It was the lowest rating decider since OzTAM began in 2001.

Just over three million viewers tuned in 2021 when the clash between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs kicked off at 7.15pm AEST.

The 2020 Grand Final, which was held in Brisbane because of Covid-19 restriction and began at 6:30pm AEST, was watched by an average of 2.979 million viewers

In 2021, Covid-19 restrictions meant the AFL season decider was held at Optus Stadium in Perth and began at 7:15pm AEST drawing an average viewership of over three millions

An average of 2.979 million viewers watched the 2020 premiership decider between Richmond and Geelong, which began at 6.30pm AEST.

Significantly, because of Covid-19 restrictions, both matches were held away from the Grand Final’s traditional home at the MCG.

The 2020 decider was held at the Gabba, while the 2021 Grand Final was held at Optus Stadium and kicked off at 5:15pm local time – 7:15pm on the east coast

Prior to the 2022 Grand Final, the league had been weighing up the benefits of a twilight fixture, starting at 4.30pm AEST but ultimately decided against it.