The Sydney Morning Herald reported during the week that NSW is bidding to host the final of ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament at the SCG. The article mentions that the women’s tournament will be held in February, 2020, with the men’s to be held in September and October. The timing of the men’s tournament will cause massive disruptions to the AFL finals as many venues around the country will be used for cricket during September, including the SCG, the MCG, The Gabba, Adelaide Oval and Perth Stadium, and teams that earn the right to host a home final may have to go interstate to play, unless Cricket Australia and the AFL can come to some sort of compromise. Will the AFL season be shifted to accommodate the Twenty20 tournament? Last time the AFL season was shifted to accommodate another major sporting event was 2000 when the Grand Final was held on September 2 to make way for the Sydney Olympic Games.
They seem to forget that the Swans may well be in the mix for a home final too.
Former North Melbourne player Darryl Sutton has died aged 64. He played 91 games for the Kangaroos between 1973 and 1980 including the drawn 1977 Grand Final and the replay the following week. He crossed to Swan Districts in 1981 and played well enough to win state selection for Western Australia, before crossing back to the VFL and joining Richmond the following year. He only played six games for the Tigers before a mid-season transfer to Sydney in 1983 where he kicked 25 goals from 14 games.
And he’s immortalised in this clip…
The AFLW season opener between Carlton and Collingwood was a big success with 24,568 crammed into Princes Park last night. So much so the gates had to be locked at quarter time, with hundreds of fans still outside. AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan also went outside the venue to say sorry. Some fans asked why the league did not move the match to an even bigger venue (e.g. Etihad Stadium). The problem is that Etihad has already been booked for an A-League derby (Victory v City) tonight and the FFA would not have wanted the turf to be damaged. However, it is reported today that the AFL is considering moving the Pies’ next game against Melbourne next Saturday night from Olympic Park Oval to Princes Park.
24k attendance is very impressive.
I heard them talking earlier in the week about the fact they’d moved the game to Princes Park because it would allow a greater attendance, what was the original ground and the capacity? I don’t think the AFL or anybody really knew how big the attendance was going to be, better to be overwhelmed than underwhelmed. Hopefully the crowds stay like this for the next 2 months across all the venues and they can move to the bigger grounds and stadiums.
Olympic Park Oval, next to AAMI Park. Mostly just grass banks and some terracing about 5000 pax Olympic Park Oval | Austadiums
The test of how popular it is nationwide will come when GWS and Brisbane host games. Certainly next weekend with 3 games in Melbourne and a game in Perth (would have helped if Freo won, though I’m biased when I say I’m glad they didn’t) expect the crowds to be strong again, even if it’s slightly down on this weekend.
I think they’ll get decent numbers going to the games. The difference will be tv numbers which are always shit in Sydney and Brisbane.
Today’s Superbowl reminded me of the 1970 VFL Grand Final at the MCG!
Carlton were 44 points down at half time… Came back and won 
How old were you for that Grand Final?
The AFL announced this morning that the AFLW clash between Collingwood and Melbourne this Saturday would be moved to Princes Park as widely expected. It will still start at 7.40pm AEDT. However the afternoon game between Carlton and GWS has been moved forward to 3.35pm AEDT to ensure a clear changeover between matches.
The AFL Commission’s Chairman Mike Fitzpartick has stood down, after a decade in the role.
Outgoing Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder is replacing him. He starts on April 4.
Both are either from or originally from WA too.
(Worst kept secret in the sporting world).
NB/
The good thing about chairmen/chairwomen (of a board), is that they usually come from across Australia & hence don’t necessarily live where the company’s HQ is located, having to fly weekly, etc. instead. Unlike most CEOs / executives.
ARTICLE ON NEW CHAIRMAN:
The Age journalist Emma Quayle has been appointed by GWS Giants as a recruiter. She is well known in AFL media for identifying young talent and where they will end up in the national draft each year (she has covered every draft since 2002). Big loss to The Age but good luck to her.
Emma Quayle has won multiple Quill Awards over the years as well, a talented journo, that’s sad news for The Age!
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Telstra getting lots of complaints this morning, after users of the AFL LIVE app couldn’t get bigger size than a mobile phone (i.e.) if using a tablet or plug into TV.
Apparently it was part of the multi-billion dollar TV broadcast rights & will be like this the rest of the competition.
I feel for fans paying the money 
I wonder if the screen restriction clause was included in the broadcast deal to protect the interests of Foxtel (half owned by Telstra)? If you want to watch the matches on full screen on your tablet, you must subscribe to Foxtel Play (a subscription complete with the sports package including Fox Footy costs $35 a month). It will be like this not only for this year but also for the next four years as well.
It could also affect Telstra’s apps for the NRL and Suncorp Super Netball (which starts tomorrow).
What are you serious? I was planning on paying for it. But if I can only watch on my phone whats the point?
The AFL has explained to The Age the screen size restrictions during live streaming of matches:
For the rights agreement to be completed between Seven, Telstra and Fox, that was the ruling regarding live streaming.
Telstra’s digital rights agreement with the AFL requires live match videos on tablet devices on the AFL Live App to the maximum screen size of 7 inches diagonally. These parameters are part of what was agreed for our broadcast partners to settle the new broadcast agreement which comes into effect this year (2017-2022).
Twelve hours after a match, match replays on tablet are permitted to be available in full-screen mode. Only the AFL Live App and the Foxtel Go App have the right to stream live matches on mobile devices.
So nearly $100 to view matches 12 hours later on normal size??? What a waste of money. I can watch them full size on youtube.