THE AFL has welcomed the Victorian State Government decision to endorse 75 per cent capacity crowds at the MCG, Marvel Stadium, GMHBA Stadium and Mars Stadium for AFL matches commencing from this round of matches.
Round two begins Thursday night as traditional rivals Carlton and Collingwood do battle at the MCG.
The increased capacity of each venue:
MCG - 75,000
Marvel Stadium - 43,440
GMHBA Stadium - 27,819
Mars Stadium - 8,335
Ticket allocations will increase in-line with the bolstered capacity of the venues with Club and AFL members continued to be prioritised. General Public tickets will also be available.
The announcement comes after a successful Round One opening to the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season as 248,030 fans attended matches across the nine matches.
Opening night at the MCG hosted the biggest crowd at a sporting event in the southern hemisphere since the Covid pandemic hit with 49,218 fans attending.
AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan welcomed the announcement and said it was great news after such a great weekend of matches.
"On behalf of the AFL I would like to thank the Victorian State Government, specifically Premier Daniel Andrews, Deputy Premier James Merlino, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula, Acting Sports Minister Jaala Pulford and Minister for Health Martin Foley for continuing to work with us and safely get as many fans back to the footy as possible," Mr McLachlan said.
"As men's footy returned across the weekend you could really feel the excitement in the air throughout Melbourne. It felt like the rhythm of the city had returned and the announcement today should only amplify this.
"In round one to have the biggest crowd at a sporting event in Australia since the Covid pandemic is a testament to the passion and support of footy fans and I know we will only build on that number in the coming weeks."
Breakdown of Ticketing allocations at MCG and Marvel Stadium;
MCG
Club Members/General Public – 41,300
MCC Members – 17,000
AFL Members – 15,000
Corporate – 1,500
Total – 75,000
Home Club members (Carlton) tickets for Thursday night go on sale at 1:00pm today. Away club members (Collingwood) go on sale at 10am Wednesday, with General Public tickets on sale from 1:00pm Wednesday.
Marvel Stadium
Club Members/General Public – 33,640
AFL Members – 4,500
Medallion Club – 4,500
Corporate – 800
Total – 40,800
