SATURDAY night's Grand Final between Richmond and Geelong will be played in front of 30,000 fans at the Gabba. 

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan confirmed the capacity on Monday morning, saying the League had taken advice from the Queensland Government on what the venue could safely hold. 

He said the AFL had done some "gentle pushing" to get closer to the ground's capacity of 38,000.

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Published on Oct 18, 2020

"As we've done all year, we respected the advice and decision of the Chief Health Officer and the government," McLachlan said. 

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"The atmosphere at the Gabba on Saturday night was electric, it felt full. 

"It'll be an unbelievable Grand Final atmosphere and we're very pleased to be here." 

Geelong's preliminary final win over Brisbane on Saturday night was played in front of 29,121 fans. 

Geelong fans celebrate as Patrick Dangerfield looks on after the preliminary final win against Brisbane. Picture: AFL Photos

McLachlan said a silver lining from the COVID-affected season was that Australian football was now "in the conversation" with rugby league as the No.1 code in Queensland.

"There's a record number of junior teams in Queensland," he said. 

"Ratings are up 35 per cent and I'm really hopeful that will translate to growth at the community level. We're going to invest even more financially in Queensland.

"The ratings were unbelievable over the weekend. We're now the No.1 watched code, even in Queensland as well. 

"The momentum is incredible. Right now, it feels like we're pretty close to being Queensland's game." 

McLachlan sat on the fence when asked for a tip on the decider, saying it would be "the hardest-fought premiership in history". 

The umpires and presenters of the Premiership Cup are expected to be announced on Tuesday.