Revealed: Eddie’s radical plan for 100K MCG Grand Final

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Glenn McFarlane
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July 28, 2021 - 10:57PM
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Eddie McGuire is driving a bold plan to get 100,000 fans into the MCG for this year’s Grand Final — featuring a ‘Ring of Steel’. See his full proposal.

Eddie McGuire is helping to drive a bold plan to get 100,000 fans into the MCG for this year’s AFL Grand Final and help restore Melbourne’s reputation as one of the sporting capitals of the world.

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Eddie McGuire has revealed the proposal being discussed amongst government and AFL heavyweights to get up to 100,000 fans inside the MCG for the Grand Final.

Here's how it will all work.

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Eddie McGuire is helping to drive a bold plan to get 100,000 fans into the MCG for this year’s AFL Grand Final and help restore Melbourne’s reputation as one of the sporting capitals of the world.

The former Collingwood president and AFL powerbroker says if the innovative proposal is successful, it could be a launching pad for capacity crowds at major events including the Melbourne Cup in November, other sporting showcases and big stadium concerts.

McGuire unveiled the plan on Footy Classified on Wednesday night, saying the AFL was aware of the ambitious push as it prepares its own contingency plans for this year’s finals series.

The proposal McGuire is pushing would see:

# All fans, staff, players, coaches and club officials tested for Covid with a standard PCR test on the Wednesday before the Grand Final;

# A second test – this time a Rapid Antigen Test – required on arrival at the ground on the Saturday at one of 200 testing stations around the ground. Rapid Antigen Test provides results of those individuals with high viral levels within 10 minutes;

# A ‘Ring of Steel’ put up around the MCG precinct, providing a ‘safety net’ for fans, providing ample room for social distancing and a carnival-type atmosphere including food trucks, entertainment and open spaces.

“If we were able to do this, it would allow us to get back to big events in Melbourne and to get back our title as the No. 1 sporting city in the world,” McGuire said.

“This could open up Melbourne again.

“This would be aimed at getting a full house for the Grand Final. But if it is successful, as we have seen it has been overseas, we can extrapolate it out to include the Melbourne Cup, big concerts and other major sporting events.”

McGuire said a similar plan had been used successfully at Wimbledon this year, proving that fans could return to major sporting events in a safe manner with the right level of planning and procedures.

He said the area around the MCG precinct – from the Holden Centre, to Rod Laver Arena, around part of the Yarra River, along part of Punt Road and up to the Pullman Melbourne On the Park Hotel (the former Hilton) – could be fenced off to provide an extra safety net as well as entertainment.

The Big Group’s Bruce Keebaugh and Response Global’s Dr Ian Norton have been among the driving forces behind the plan, which has won significant support from a number of key Melburnians, including McGuire.

It is understood the AFL, the State Government and Visit Victoria are aware of the push, with detailed plans likely to go to the chief health officer for approval if it is to proceed further.

“I know the AFL is keeping its options open (about this year’s finals series) in terms of Perth and Adelaide,” McGuire said.

“Even if the early finals are played elsewhere, this would still give us the option of setting up the area so that we can have the Grand Final at the MCG with a full house.”

He believes footy fans would be willing to get two Covid tests – a standard one on the Wednesday and Rapid Antigen Test on the Saturday – in order to attend what would be the return of a capacity crowd at the MCG.

“What it would mean is that every fan, every worker, every player, every coach and every person has been tested as best as you possibly can,” he said.

“You would get the (PCL) test on the Wednesday and if it was negative, you would then have the Rapid Antigen Testing on the Saturday.”

With Rapid Antigen Testing, five out of 100,000 tests provide a false positive, but McGuire said if that happened, another PCL test could then be taken to see if the person could be admitted or not.

The strength of the Covid-safe plan the AFL and MCG submit to Victoria’s nervous public health officials will help decide whether the grand final is played in Melbourne or Perth.

Mandating staggered entry times, enforcing face masks and pledging to use every square inch of the MCG are regarded as critical in the bid to secure a crowd large enough to justify honouring Victoria’s grand final contract.

Watertight protocols governing movement within the venue, closely policing the scanning of QR codes and limiting or closing food and beverage outlets, including bars, would also help persuade chief health officer Brett Sutton to sign off on a bigger crowd.

The MCG’s top level has been closed for some games this year while other venues have packed thousands of fans into one area and left other stands empty.

But this time the AFL and MCG will devise a detailed spacing plan where supporters are scattered across the 100,000-seat stadium to increase public safety.

Crowds are expected to return at 25 per cent capacity in round 22, which is three weeks before the start of the AFL finals series.

The grand final scenario is a curious one because the Victorian government holds the contract but is also setting the crowd, and if capacity at the MCG is set too low then the AFL will seek to break that contract to play the game in Perth.

The magic crowd number required for the MCG to host the grand final is unclear.

But the AFL’s finals policy has always been to maximise attendance, with Geelong, Western Bulldogs and Sydney recently forced to play home finals at their state’s largest ground.

Some have noted that should require a baseline MCG crowd of 60,000, given that is Perth Stadium’s capacity.

However the AFL and MCG could submit the most rigid Covid-safe plan the world has seen and still be denied a suitable grand final crowd by the state government, particularly after recent virus transmissions at the MCG’s Carlton-Geelong match.

Sports Minister Martin Pakula has always been resolute the grand final would be played at the MCG – but he said “nothing is set in stone” on Wednesday.

“I expect we will have crowds back at the footy, I speak to the AFL almost daily,” Pakula said.

“I understand their desire for certainty, and we’ll provide them with as much as we can.

“I expect it’ll be a slow ramp up, but we all know where the finish line is.”

Pakula warned an MCG grand final would take on a different look in 2021.

“I expect he’ll (Sutton) be wanting to have a conversation about masks, about the way people are spread out throughout the ground, about things like how people enter and whether people stagger their arrival,” Pakula said.

“Things of that nature all of those are understood by our sporting codes, they’ll be working their way I imagine into their Covid-safe plans.

“That’ll give them the best chance to get the green light.”

Thanks Ed. And now let's cross to Hulk Hogan for his revolutionary breakthrough in curing cancer.

*Full disclosure I didn't read the above wall of text.

Great Idea, one way to get a full capacity GF.

I wonder who the AFL is expecting to pay for the tests? Maybe they should also consider vaccine passports, of course that is dependent on availability of vaccine.

The part I don't understand is how they going to get 100,000 people tested on the Wednesday, on top of the regular testing for the day? I don't think we have ever tested in those numbers, seems outside the State's testing capabilities.

Whatever is in the article is irrelevant to me because I read the title as "Eddie's Racial Plan" and can never unsee it.

So what if there is a positive result doesn't that make the MCG a tier 1 site?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ratsmac

So what if there is a positive result doesn't that make the MCG a tier 1 site?

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It would be outside the "ring of steel" around the ground so that a positive case wouldn't make it into the MCG.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Axe Man

The part I don't understand is how they going to get 100,000 people tested on the Wednesday, on top of the regular testing for the day? I don't think we have ever tested in those numbers, seems outside the State's testing capabilities.

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Well the good news is that Eddie has a mate that does the tests real cheap...