The AFL’s women’s competition has been accused of “stagnation” by one of its former players.
It comes after the league’s grand final sold out for a third straight year, with a crowd of just over 12,000 expected at Carlton’s Princes Park on Saturday.
There have been strong calls for the AFL to host the decider at Marvel Stadium, given it holds 50,000 and would allow more fans in.
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Lions fans at the AFLW Grand Final. AFL Photos via Getty Images
But the AFL has been reluctant to make the move to a bigger stadium, out of fear of empty seats.
North Melbourne and Brisbane will meet in this year’s grand final for a third straight season, marking an epic trilogy of battles.
Tickets sold out on Thursday, after they were made available in batches throughout the week. Both the 2023 and 2024 grand finals sold out almost immediately, without the drip-feed approach.
Nevertheless, the boutique venue home to Carlton is at capacity.
Former Brisbane AFLW player and expert commentator Kate McCarthy voiced her displeasure on social media.
“For the third straight year, fans are being locked out of the AFLW grand final because the venue is too small. Do better, AFL. This isn’t growth — it’s stagnation,” McCarthy posted.
Former Western Bulldogs AFLW coach Nathan Burke replied, “It’s all part of the plan, Katherine”, followed by an emoji of an embarrassed face.
Marvel Stadium’s availability would be in question given drop-in pitches would be in place for the Melbourne Renegades’ Big Bash League campaign and the subsequent cricket season.
Of course, the AFL owns the venue and could make things work if it wanted.
The league has proven it can host AFLW grand finals in stadiums before, with 2019’s Adelaide versus Carlton game filling up Adelaide Oval with 53,034 fans.
Fans pile into Adelaide Oval for the 2019 AFLW Grand Final. Getty
The 2021 grand final at the same venue for the Crows and Lions reached 22,934 in the midst of COVID.
This will be the fourth decider played at Princes Park and the third in a row.
The league controversially decided not to fixture any AFLW games at Marvel Stadium this season, and scheduled zero double headers with the men’s competition.
North Melbourne enters the grand final as the heavy favourite, having not lost a game this year.
The Kangaroos have not been beaten since 2023’s grand final loss to Brisbane.
The club confirmed it would host a family day at Arden Street Oval in North Melbourne if it’s victorious on Saturday.