AFL night grand final

[Bluedemon]

heard this morning on the radio that the topic of a night grand final came up again, what do people think of this happening?

[sydney-dog]

i hope they never go down that path, their are some things they should just leave a lone, and for me a day GF at the MCG is one of these

[JK]

I'm in complete agreeance with SD on this

[sydney-dog]

AFL Media Release

No night GF plans for AFL
12:05:05 PM Thu 1 June, 2006
Matt Burgan
Sportal for afl.com.au
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has declared that a premiership season night grand final will not take place during the period covered by the next broadcast rights deal which runs from 2007-11.

Speaking on 3AW on Thursday morning, Demetriou said it was not inevitable that a grand final would occur and that he'd put "a big line through" the notion.

"Well, given that the AFL controls the schedule and always has and always will and it hasn't sold the rights to schedule games to anybody other than itself; I can tell you that the only body that will decide where the grand final is played is the AFL," Demetriou said.

"We have no desire and it's not on the agenda to play a night grand final and you can write that down and I don't know why it's been reported and I don't know why we weren't called yesterday to get a comment.


"These stories get brought up on an annual basis almost in perpetuity, and the fact of the matter is that there is no desire to play football on Good Friday, there is no desire to play a night grand final and there is no desire to move the Anzac Day game away from Essendon and Collingwood."

Demetriou indicated feedback from the general public had not favoured a night grand final.

"I can tell you that the public has no desire to play a night grand final and I'm not quite sure why a night grand final would bring anything more to a game, given that our day grand final attracts about three-and-a-half million people on television during the day and it's still going to have 95(000) to 100,000 people in attendance and I can't think why we would want to move it," Demetriou said.

Demetriou said a night grand final had been briefly touched on with the new television rights holders - Channel Seven and Channel 10 - but that was as far as discussions went.

"In all of our discussions during the broadcast rights agreements, the topic of the night grand final probably got about two seconds and we haven't been approached since then and it hasn't been brought up in discussions," Demetriou said.

"It's not in our agreement for the next five years, so in fairness to (Channel) Seven and (Channel) 10, I'm not quite sure why that's been reported."

Demetriou also hosed down suggestions that only two matches could be screened on free-to-air television in the new five-year deal, starting next year.

"Well, that's impossible, given that we've sold an agreement that is for eight games on free-to-air with the right for Seven and 10 to sub-license up to four games, so the maximum could only be four games on Foxtel," Demetriou said.

Demetriou said he was not concerned that four matches could be shown on Pay TV provider Foxtel from next season.

"No, not really, I don't know whether that will happen or not, because we're not privy to those discussions, but it is possible that you can put together a schedule and a fixture that isn't too disadvantageous to our viewers, when there is four (free-to-air) and four (pay TV) split."

[Dog_ger]

A day "Grand final" played at night...?

Oh dear....!

[MightyEagles]

There's one or two things we are not. That's the NRL/ARU/NFL. The AFL GF during the day goes back to when it was known as the VFL and should never be moved.

[ORDoubleBlues]

In agreeance with everyone else.
Really is something special about the Saturday afternoon on the last day in September.
Realise that in the long, long, long, long, long term that money will be the decider but as a player and a fan on the winning side it would sour things a bit when the sun comes up on Sunday morning and you've barely started celebrating.
Admit I'm not a big Demetriou fan but credit to him on this one.

[Magpiespower]

Saturday for me.

However, I can see the AFL eventually lifting up its skirt to the almighty dollar and ratings.

That being the case, reakon we'll end up with a night grand final.

On Sunday.

[Rik E Boy]

Crap idea. Boycott it if it happens.

regards,

REB

[Booney]

No night GF for me either.Screw ratings,its about the game being played the last Saturday arvo in September,simple as that,though,to the current big wigs at AFL house nothing is simple.

[am Bays]

I see from her article today Caro Wilson is on her one women campaign to change it to a night final.

The one advantage of a night final is that in the lower light level it will be harder to see her....

Oh yeah, Day final for me too, I think a majority of the finals should be played during the day not the minority as currently is the case....

[JK]

I think we've been lucky that the GF in recent memory hasn't been hit with a torrential downpour of sorts, perhaps the Bris v Coll GF of 02 (for memory) was the closest ... And was still a fantastic game of footy!

I'm sure a night contest wouldn't detract too much from the spectacle, however if they do cop the weather above, I think it would make for a scrappier game at night than during the day.

[TroyGFC]

One day in September.

[Dog_ger]

Lets have the Night Grandfinal during the Day.....? Ha...

[giffo]

Definately during the day. I haven't got the lights up over the bbq yet. And how are we gunna watch a reply of the Crows winning (like 7 did in 97-98) if the game doesn't finish till 11:00.