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March 30, 2026 \u2014 4:43pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n It took some doing, but the AFL has finally landed its number one pick in the entertainment draft: Kylie Minogue.<\/p>\n The news that Australia\u2019s Queen of Pop will perform at the AFL grand final in September broke on Sunday night. But it was a deal that had been years in the making.<\/p>\n An AFL insider, who was not authorised to speak on the record, told this masthead that Minogue had been the number one name on the list for both Mushroom Events, which produces the pre-game show, and the AFL for as long as they could remember.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first question is always \u2018is Kylie available?\u2019,\u201d the insider said. \u201cShe\u2019s always been interested in doing it, it\u2019s just that she\u2019s been busy. This is the first time the window worked.\u201d<\/p>\n The reports that she had resisted previous attempts to woo her because it was an afternoon gig were, the insider insisted, \u201cdead wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking to the media on Monday afternoon, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon revealed, \u201cthe discussion started in earnest after the grand final last year, and we were able to conclude it not that long ago\u201d.<\/p>\n The insider said an in-principle agreement was reached with Minogue\u2019s management about three months ago, but the final contracts were only exchanged late last week.<\/p>\n There was little doubt, though, that Minogue was serious about doing it.<\/p>\n Related Article When she was in Melbourne to perform at the annual Pratt family bash at Raheen mansion in Kew on Saturday March 21, the insider claims, she visited the MCG and allowed the AFL media team to nab some promotional material, including the photo of her standing in the centre circle holding a Sherrin.<\/p>\n She was reportedly paid $3 million for the Pratt gig, at which around 250 guests were in attendance. The AFL has not revealed her fee for the grand final show, which will be watched by more than 4 million people, as per OzTam ratings (and many more than that if those watching at house parties, social clubs and pubs were taken into account), but the sporting body has not, in recent years, hosed down reports of $2 million paydays for its headliners.<\/p>\n That could be tactical, though, a way of keeping the real (possibly higher) figure secret so as not to skew negotiations.<\/p>\n Asked on Monday afternoon how much he was paying Minogue, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said only \u201cIt\u2019ll be worth every cent\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked again how much exactly she was costing, he repeated \u201cIt\u2019ll be worth every cent\u201d.<\/p>\n The revelation of Minogue as headline artist in March has put a cap on the speculation that typically reaches fever pitch mid-year about who will play at what is, generally, the most-watched sporting and television event of the year. Snoop Dogg (2025) and Katy Perry (2024), for instance, were both announced in late July. Having the news out early allows the focus to shift elsewhere. \u201cIt is a complex negotiation, and so yeah, it is good [to have it locked away],\u201d said Dillon.<\/p>\n Still, there\u2019s a certain inevitability about Minogue playing the grand final. Melbourne-born and, once again Melbourne-based, the Grammy winner got her start in music when, as a Neighbours star, she and some other cast members were asked to perform at a fundraiser for the Fitzroy Football Club in 1986.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sang a song, and we were really nervous,\u201d she told ET magazine in 1988<\/a>. \u201cWe ended up having such a great time that we wanted to do another song. My suggestion was Loco-Motion. I knew the words because I had a Carole King songbook. And the band knew the track. The backing was simple.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article A recording of that song became Minogue\u2019s first single in July 1987, after Michael Gudinski signed her to his Mushroom label.<\/p>\n Mushroom Events has produced the grand final entertainment for more than a decade. \u201cThe AFL\u2019s brief to us was clear,\u201d Mushroom states on its website. \u201cTo elevate AFL events to new heights by delivering top-tier talent, flawless production, and creative direction.\u201d <\/p>\n In most respects, they have succeeded. The go-to reference point for anyone wishing to take a swing at the match-day music is Meatloaf, but that was in 2011. Mushroom-backed artists such as Birds of Tokyo and Paul Kelly restored decency and a local flavour to the event in the immediate years after that debacle, and Ed Sheeran \u2013 famously a great mate of Mushroom founder (and Matt\u2019s father) Michael Gudinski, who died five years ago last week \u2013 managed to satisfy both the global superstar and local connection demands in 2014.<\/p>\n Canny observers may have noticed that the headline artists appearing at the grand final often announce a forthcoming tour around the same time; in 2022, Robbie Williams announced his XXV tour was coming to Australia just days before he performed a stellar set at the MCG, while Katy Perry\u2019s Lifetimes tour was announced on September 25 2024, just days before she performed an AI-assisted set before the big game.<\/p>\n There have been calls for the AFL to choose Australian artists to headline the gig, with the likes of Powderfinger\u2019s Darren Middleton, Spiderbait\u2019s Kram and former Richmond star Matthew Richardson putting their names to a campaign by Save Our Arts. The choice of Minogue satisfies that demand in the short term, but in truth it\u2019s a case of a global star who just happens to be Australian.<\/p>\n There\u2019s little doubt that Minogue continues an upward trend as far as the calibre of artists and spectacle delivered in the pre-game entertainment is concerned. Asked if that is being done with an eye to capturing international attention and growing the AFL brand globally, Dillon was equivocal.<\/p>\n \u201cOur big focus is on where our fans are, which is in Australia,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I think when you have artists of the calibre that we have had over the last few years, I think it will draw in fans outside Australia as well. So it\u2019s a welcome addition.\u201d<\/p>\n Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist<\/a> delivered every Thursday.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/23753ff811cad911e861110a6098b865758fa6f7.jpeg\")
The image released by the AFL to announce Kylie Minogue as the main entertainment act at this year\u2019s grand final.<\/p>\n![\"Kylie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774797255_406_83001a51143fe9d269492ad373921cbed5a2892f.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Kylie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/d5151397137fe7653d1fb7836936ca3d4cda433e.jpeg\")
Kylie Minogue filming the video for her debut single Locomotion in 1987. <\/p>\n![\"Kylie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774852753_330_88527dacb77fa6a8cd1ec82ed3fda174a5aab7ee.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Kylie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cbc02171053c1922d709aeec7d3dffb2d9089f53.jpeg\")
Kylie Minogue with Jason Dunstall and Doug Hawkins on Channel Seven\u2019s Live and Kicking in the late 1990s. <\/p>\n