A fixturing headache is looming for the AFL ahead of the AFLW finals, with Geelong and Gold Coast set to be locked out of their home venues due to double bookings.
Under new coach Mick Stinear’s stewardship, the Cats have skyrocketed to second on the ladder, winning their last eight games.
Geelong are poised to host a home qualifying final, however they won’t be able to use GMHBA Stadium due to a booking clash, with the AUSX Supercross Championship – a dirt-bike racing series.
The Cats will have to play at either Ikon Park or Whitten Oval – the latter being a ground the Cats have not played on this year, excluding a pre-season match simulation.
GMHBA Stadium will be available for week two and three of finals and, potentially, the grand final.
Gold Coast find themselves in a similar position. After an emphatic win over Melbourne, the Suns find themselves in fourth place on the ladder and, as things currently stand, will face North Melbourne in the first week of finals.
If they were to lose, Gold Coast would then host a home final, except People First Stadium in Carrara is already booked for cricket, which means the Suns will likely have to travel to Brighton Homes Area, in Ipswich.
Sources familiar with the situation, but not authorised to speak publicly, said the AFL and both clubs were aware of the double-bookings before the season started.
They confirmed the Suns and Geelong were currently working through multiple options with the AFL and other parties as the finals series approaches.
Former Port Adelaide AFLW coach and commentator Lauren Arnell told this masthead the fixturing for finals venues was especially disappointing for Geelong players and their fans.
“A large percentage of Geelong supporters live in and around the Geelong area, so I think that would be disappointing no doubt” she said.
“There’s obviously financial constraints within AFLW 11 seasons in, and that’s a clear element of the decisions that have been made here.”
“It’s like, how do you forecast success in an 18-team competition when every team you know is turning up to try and make a premiership every year. But a team like Geelong you expect would certainly have had high hopes for the season.”
Arnell said while the AFLW was continuing to grow and develop, the fixturing was a sign “the league is nowhere near the finished product”.
“I would make some heavy assumptions that the Geelong decision with GMHBA Stadium is around money … and so it’s really just another sign of where the league is currently at,” she said.
This year, the league announced the AFLW grand final would be held on Friday, November 27, to avoid a clash with the Victorian state election. The announcement came in August – the earliest a women’s decider has ever been announced – however the league copped criticism for its reluctance to move the grand final to a large stadium.
The grand final will be held at the ground of the highest-ranked qualifier, which is most likely to be Ikon Park, given reigning premiers North Melbourne are again dominating the season.
Marvel Stadium – the home of several doubleheaders this year – is unavailable because pop star Harry Styles will be performing there.
Arnell said an important factor that causes “fixture havoc” in AFLW was the lack of no set grand final venue.
“I have liked the flexibility of it in previous years, but these types of issues are going to be constant until there’s a locked-in venue, and if Marvel is available say 12 months ahead of time, then that could be the AFLW grand final venue for 2027,” she said.
“I think everyone involved in AFLW will be on the same page with that.”
Geelong, Gold Coast and the AFL were contacted for comment.
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Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
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