AFL urges fans to plan ahead or miss out

Richmond's last training session before the AFL grand final is certain to be a lockout so fans are being urged to arrive early.

Richmond fans

Richmond's Tiger Army is on the march and that has AFL officials worried ahead of the grand final. (AAP)

The Tiger Army has the AFL nervous about crowd numbers for the events around Saturday's grand final.

Richmond's 9.45am training session at Punt Rd on Friday is certain to be a lockout, while officials are unsure what to expect for the post-match free concert inside the MCG.

The Tigers' training session will be followed by the noon grand final parade from the Melbourne CBD to outside the MCG.

Punt Rd only has a capacity of 5000 and Richmond's massive supporter base, plus their long wait for a premiership, means it will fill up quickly.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has urged Richmond and Adelaide fans to arrive early for Friday's events.

"The capacity and the crowding issues are a priority for us - we're working with Victorian Police, working with the clubs," McLachlan said.

"It's going to be a great spectacle, the parade, the final training at Punt Rd, all that sort of stuff.

"Please, to all Richmond and Adelaide supporters, understand that there are going to be a lot of people, get there early ... expect it to be a big event."

Organisers will also have their hands full for the post-game concert on Saturday night, featuring American rock band The Killers.

"This year it feels like we might need to make sure we managed the capacity," McLachlan said.

"We can fit a lot of people in - it's a free show, it's not just for those who have grand final tickets."

McLachlan said they want to have as many people as possible attend the concert.

It is open to the public, not just fans who have grand final tickets.

"Clearly if Richmond wins, there's a chance no-one leaves and there's 30,000 outside," he said.

"I think we can fit everyone in ... generally, we haven't had an issue with capacity.

"This is a big band and a there are a couple of big teams playing in the grand final, so we'll see."

McLachlan said he wished the MCG had double its 100,000 capacity, given the massive interest in this year's grand final.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world