'Keep the game alive': AFL confirms Victorian clubs' move to Queensland
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has confirmed all Victorian clubs will relocate to Queensland for up to 10 weeks and potentially the remainder of the home and away season.
Consequently, eight of the Victorian teams would be in Queensland next week, with teams continuing to roll through Perth following Collingwood and Geelong. Melbourne, who are in Sydney, would move to Queensland next week after the Demons play the Gold Coast Suns.
McLachlan said moving to a situation where Queensland was the base for the competition for a lengthy period would provide greater certainty and allow the AFL to conclude its home-and-away season during that period, as Victoria deals with a COVID-19 spike. He said the league had to get through 100 more games of the home and away season.
The AFL will use Queensland as its base and fly teams to other states, such as South Australia and WA, while McLachlan said the Northern Territory and Tasmania were also options to host games, as was northern Queensland.
"We continue to keep our game alive ... for the players, for the fans, for our clubs," McLachlan said.
"We perservere because that's what footy does – it always finds a way."
McLachlan, who briefed clubs on the game's radical solution this morning, confirmed that the AFL would set up "a transition hub" for players who had not left Victoria yet and families of players to quarantine for 14 days. They would then be able to join their clubs. Sources said this would be at Southport's Mantra resort.
"This is a clear plan that makes Queensland the base and provides greater certainly for everyone."
The AFL view is that NSW was a watching brief and that, at this stage, the Swans and Giants would remain in Sydney. Sydney are playing the Suns and Hawthorn at the SCG over the next two rounds, while the Giants face the Brisbane Lions and then Richmond in rounds seven and eight.
"Yes, it's possible we'll play in north Queensland," McLachlan said.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan addressed the media outside AFL House on Wednesday.Credit:Getty Images
McLachlan stressed this move applied to the 17-game home-and-away season and any decisions about the location of the grand final would need to wait.
"There is no decision to make about the grand final. This is a decision about the home-and-away season," he said, reiterating that the grand final was earmarked for the MCG, until circumstances dictated that it couldn't be. He said every mainland state was interested hosting the grand final.
"We're not talking about that today."
McLachlan said the cost of the mass relocation to Queensland was in the ballpark of $3 million per week, which would be a total cost of $30 million if the clubs stayed for the 10 weeks. "This is obviously more expensive than the alternative," he said, adding that the AFL's strong balance sheet had enabled it to deal with this crisis.
The AFL is also looking to compress its schedule of games, potentially operating on four day breaks on occasions, with the AFL Players' Association and clubs involved in discussions on how this could work.
"I'm confident players will embrace that," McLachlan said of the relocation. "It might not work for everyone and I understand that."
Richmond are expected to keep players who are in Victoria training and doing injury recovery at home, until they are required for training and/or selection and then moved up north. Melbourne's leftover group will fly up to Queensland this week.
When asked about the criteria for partners to be able to join the Queensland hub, McLachlan said: "it's not for someone who's been a partner for a few weeks".
McLachlan thanked Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for her government's assistance, the premier earlier having told Queensland parliament of the AFL's move.
Palaszczuk said she had agreed to allow all Victorian AFL clubs to be based in the state subject to the strict protocols remaining in place, after discussions with McLachlan.
Palaszczuk said she told McLachlan that "if the season is based here – then the grand final should be played here too!"
"I stress, none of these measures can happen without strict quarantine protocols and the COVID management plan that has allowed the AFL season to proceed," she said.
"As everyone knows, AFL's more than a sport to Victorians. We know how they feel.
"Given the choice between not having a season and having it based in Queensland, I think I know what the fans would like to happen."
with Toby Crockford