The AFL, in partnership with Visit Victoria, is pleased to launch the 2022 Festival of Football which is set to drive thousands of fans back to stadiums across the state for 10-days of action-packed sport and entertainment.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan, AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers, Hawthorn Captain Ben McEvoy and North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos player Emma King gathered at Yarra Park today to officially welcome the Festival of Football which will be held from Friday March 11 to Sunday March 20.
The 10-day festival will see all Victorian-based AFL and AFLW teams play in front of hometown fans in venues across the state including the MCG, Marvel Stadium, Geelong, Ballarat, Victoria Park, Arden St and Moorabbin.
The festival will commence with a thrilling final home and away round of the 2022 NAB AFL Women’s competition, before leading into a blockbuster Opening Round of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, including the 2021 Toyota AFL Grand Final rematch between Melbourne and Western Bulldogs on Wednesday March 16 and the annual Powercor Country Game between Geelong Cats and Essendon on Saturday March 18.
As a way of thanking fans for their incredible support, the AFL is pleased to announce a special Festival of Football Live Site at Yarra Park which will open from Wednesday, March 16 until Sunday, March 20.
The FREE Live Site will feature a number of great fan activities, including a pop-up barber, food trucks and NAB AFL Auskick clinics, while a host of family-friendly activities and giveaways will be available to fans at stadiums for all AFL and AFLW games across the state.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the Festival of Football was a great opportunity for all fans to experience the joys of Australian football.
"We have an incredible end to the best NAB AFLW season and an unbelievable start to the AFL season, with the Festival of Football featuring five blockbuster matches in five days to kick off the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership season," Mr. McLachlan said.
"We want to see as many fans as possible back at the footy, we've frozen prices on General Admission tickets for all matches at Marvel Stadium and the MCG, introduced a new discount family ticket and provided tickets to Festival of Football matches to every community club in Victoria for their unwavering support of our game.
"Victoria is back. Our beloved footy rituals are back, and I can't wait to see our fans enjoy being part of big crowds watching their favourite AFL and AFLW teams in action again."
AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers said the Festival of Football would see the return of football as we know it.
"I'd like to thank the Victorian Government for their support in bringing the community back together through the Festival of Football along with our corporate partners including Toyota, NAB, Coles, McDonalds, Cadbury, Chemist Warehouse, Virgin Australia, Rebel, Monster, CUB, TWE and Aqium," Ms. Rogers said.
"It's the return of footy as we know it - with 100 per cent crowd capacity and a host of exciting home-town matches to see, we're looking forward to seeing Victoria roar back to life bigger and better in 2022."
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula said: "Footy's back, and this festival will attract thousands of fans to stadiums in Melbourne, Ballarat and Geelong, supporting local businesses and jobs."
Tickets for Rounds 1-5 of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season are now on sale via Ticketek and Ticketmaster, with discounted Family tickets for $50 and a price freeze on General Admission for Marvel Stadium and the MCG. Tickets for Round 10 of the NAB AFLW competition go on-sale on March 7, with adults $10 and kids aged 17 and under FREE.
For more information on the Festival of Football, visit afl.com.au/festival-of-footy
