THE AFL is pleased to announce the 2021 NAB AFL Women’s Grand Final will be held at 2:00pm AEST / 1:30pm ACST on Saturday, April 17 at either Adelaide Oval, the MCG or The Gabba, with all ticket prices frozen at $10, and kids under 18 free.
The Grand Final will be played in the home state of the team who is ranked highest following this weekend’s Preliminary Finals.
The match will commence in the standalone timeslot of 2:00pm AEST, with the AFL moving the start time of the Round Five AFL Western Bulldogs vs. Gold Coast SUNS match from 1:45pm AEST to 4:35pm AEST to ensure clear air and no crossover of matches for the biggest game of the women’s season.
If the match is to be played at the MCG, the Round Five AFL match between Carlton and Port Adelaide will be played that night and pushed back to start at 7:40pm AEST (currently 7:25pm AEST).
If the match is to be played at the MCG, the crowd will disperse post the NAB AFLW Grand Final, the stadium will be cleaned and ready for gates to open for the AFL match that night.
As per the first two weeks of the 2021 NAB AFL Women’s Finals Series, tickets to the NAB AFLW Grand Final will remain at $10 for adults, with children aged under 18 attending for free.
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AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan said season five of the NAB AFL Women’s Competition has been the best one yet.
“The 2021 NAB AFL Women’s Competition has been the best season to date and we look forward to the biggest game of the season being played on the biggest stage,” Mr McLachlan said.
“The Finals Series has so far proven to be an extremely competitive one – any of the top four teams can win through to the Grand Final.
“Tickets to the NAB AFLW Grand Final will remain at $10, with kids under 18 free, and we thank all the fans who have turned out to support AFLW this season.
“We are calling on the whole Australian Football community to come and see our best performing teams compete for the Premiership.”
As the lower-ranked teams, Collingwood and Melbourne need to win this weekend in order for the MCG to be used, with the Pies to host that particular permutation.
If results fall that way, it will mark the first time the 'G will be used for an AFLW game, with only a handful having been played at Marvel Stadium.
Ikon Park was used for the sole Victorian AFLW Grand Final, with the Western Bulldogs hosting Brisbane in 2018.
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"We've been in constant consultation with clubs as to their preference on the big stage, so clearly they've got the suburban grounds that they love to go to: for Melbourne, it's Casey, and for Collingwood, it's Vic Park," AFL head of women's football Nicole Livingstone said.
"But when you think about that big stage, both of those clubs have a connection to the MCG, so for them, I think it was an easy decision [for Collingwood] put forward to us that they would like to play at the MCG if they had the opportunity."
Given the overlap between the men's and the women's competition, Livingstone said the starting date of the AFLW will be one of many things reviewed at the end of the season.
"Those [AFL] games have come at a time when we haven't had footy in Victoria for over 12 months, so clearly the interest is really high in getting back to the footy.
"It's the longest crossover period we've had with the men's game in AFLW history, so we'll continue – as we do with everything in AFLW, because it is so young and new – we'll continue to review and have a look at it.
"We do compete against ourselves once the AFL comes into the picture. It's something we'll look at, we'll review, and we'll continue to consult with not only the clubs, players and PA, but also with our fans."
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The location, ticketing on-sale information dates and times of the NAB AFLW Grand Final will be confirmed on Saturday night following the conclusion of the Preliminary Finals.
The NAB AFL Women’s Grand Final will be broadcast live on the Seven Network and FOX FOOTY and streamed live via Kayo, womens.afl and the AFLW Official App.
The health and welfare of everyone in the game and in the wider community remains paramount and the AFL remains committed to delivering the NAB AFLW Finals Series in a safe manner anchored in the advice of respective governments and public health officials.
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