THIS year’s TAC Cup and VFL Grand Finals will be played under lights at Telstra Dome on Friday, September 26.

The double-header is sure to whet the appetite of footy followers for what shapes as a bumper AFL Grand Final Weekend in football’s 150th year.

The TAC Cup Grand Final will start at 4.30pm followed by the VFL Grand Final at 7.40pm.

AFL Victoria Chief Executive Officer Peter Schwab said the event shaped as a real treat for not only Victoria’s passionate footy followers but also visitors from interstate and overseas.

“This will be a real celebration of Victorian football and the indelible mark it has left on the state for 150 years,” Schwab said.

“The VFL is the state’s oldest football competition while the TAC Cup is a proven pathway to the elite level.

“With the buzz in the air come September, there is no better way to kick off AFL Grand Final weekend than at Telstra Dome featuring the nation’s best state-based competition in the VFL and junior competition in the TAC Cup.”

Telstra Dome Chief Executive Ian Collins said hosting the VFL and TAC Cup Grand Finals would be another fantastic event not only for Telstra Dome but Melbourne as well.

Collins said it made perfect sense to stage the two matches on the one programme at Telstra Dome, the night before the AFL Grand Final.

“With 2008 a celebration of 150 years of football, it is fitting that the VFL should be rewarded for both its enormous contribution to the game and the role it’s played in growing football in Victoria,” Collins said.

Mr Collins said staging the event at Telstra Dome should help to give the two Grand Finals a greater profile hopefully leading to a big attendance.

AFL Game Development General Manager David Matthews said the key change would be a major boon for the VFL and both fast-track development of young players, by exposing them to a high-level game on an elite surface, as well as enabling clubs and recruiting staff to assess as many of the leading draft prospects as possible.

"The change to a Friday night game will enable elite young players to prepare in the best possible way for a major match, compared to playing very early in the day, as well as giving them their own dedicated key space within Grand Final week - the high point to our year," Matthews said.