{"id":571162,"date":"2026-03-29T02:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T02:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/571162\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T02:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T02:18:11","slug":"afl-grand-final-locked-in-afternoon-timeslot-until-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/571162\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL Grand Final locked in afternoon timeslot until 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

The AFL grand final will be kept in its traditional afternoon timeslot for at least the next two years in a surprise win for traditionalist fans. <\/p>\n

The set game time will be announced on Monday, with the premiership decider to start at 2.30pm this year and next, shutting down speculation the biggest day in Australian sport was set to be moved to a twilight fixture.<\/p>\n

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the 2026 and 2027 grand finals will be played during the day, in a move that will thrill traditionalists who support the family friendly timeslot. <\/p>\n

The start time of the 2028 grand final will then be reviewed, as part of a broader assessment of scheduling required to accommodate the addition of a 19th team into the league in AFL newcomer Tasmania. A decision on the grand final start time had not been expected til late April or early May, when the AFL Commission is due to meet. And it was widely thought the league might move to a twilight grand final this year or next, to step up its off-field entertainment offering and attract a global act to rival the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

But new AFL commissioner Craig Drummond said the league had decided to give fans, clubs and stakeholders early clarity about the MCG blockbuster.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe AFL grand final is the best day on the Australian sporting calendar. It is the biggest moment in our game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone who loves footy has a view on the right start time for our biggest game of the year, and for at least the next two seasons it will remain in its traditional afternoon timeslot of 2.30pm at the MCG. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Commission agreed it was important to provide fans and clubs with certainty now, while also allowing the AFL to continue to plan on our 19th club entering the competition in two years\u2019 time.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is believed to be the first time the AFL has locked in the grand final start time over multiple years. <\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s AFL Fan\u2019s Association survey found about 82 per cent of supporters preferred a 2.30pm grand final start. <\/p>\n

But there\u2019s speculation <\/a>that the league has faced increasing pressure from broadcasters to move the match after dark to step up entertainment and broaden the appeal of a huge TV audience. <\/p>\n

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said planning was already well under way for the Tasmania Devils<\/a>\u2019 entry into the competition in 2028. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo it makes sense to lock in the grand final start time for the next two seasons and provide everyone with clarity.\u201d Mr Dillon said. \u201cOur role is to deliver the best possible grand final experience \u2014 for the 100,000 fans at the MCG and the millions watching on broadcast.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mr Dillon said a daytime AFL grand final was befitting of an event that drew huge crowds and broadcast audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain committed to making it the biggest and best sporting event in the country,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Ticketing information and on-sale dates would be announced later in the year, with club and AFL members to get first crack at all final\u2019s tickets. <\/p>\n

AFL Fans Association president Ron Issko said the decision to keep the grand final start time at 2.30pm reflected \u201cthe clear and consistent voice of fans\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision shows that when fans speak clearly, the AFL listens \u2013 and that must continue across all major decisions,\u201d Mr Issko said.<\/p>\n

He said listening to fans was more important than ever as cost-of-living pressures put strain on people\u2019s ability to attend games.<\/p>\n

\u201cFans \u2013 particularly those who regularly attend \u2013 are increasingly concerned that some AFL decisions are being driven primarily by broadcast and commercial consideration,\u201d Mr Issko said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strength of the AFL has always been its fans and the game is at its best when their voices are not just heard, but embedded in every major decision.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The AFL grand final will be kept in its traditional afternoon timeslot for at least the next two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":571163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-571162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/571163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}