Fans of both Collingwood and Brisbane will descend on Melbourne today with the iconic annual AFL Grand Final Parade debuting a brand new route for footy fans and families to enjoy, thanks to support from the Allan Labor Government.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos joined thousands of Magpies and Lions fans as excitement for the parade builds with a new route showcasing the iconic Melbourne Park Precinct.
Beginning at Melbourne Park’s Grand Slam Oval, the players and coaches will head up Batman Avenue by motorcade and onto Birrarung Marr across William Barak Bridge to Yarra Park, finishing at the AFL’s free Footy Festival.
The centrepiece of the new starting position at Melbourne Park is a unique, 360-degree cube stage featuring screens on every side, so every fan can see their favourite players up close and enjoy the celebrations amongst the crowd.
This year’s Grand Final will mark 20-years since Collingwood and Brisbane last met on football’s biggest stage, with a sell-out crowd expected to fill the MCG, including thousands of visiting Queenslanders to cheer on their Lions.
After the parade and presentation of club captains, fans can enjoy all the finals action at the Yarra Park Precinct with the AFL’s Footy Festival which has been running since Wednesday 27 September, confirming Melbourne’s place as the home of the AFL Grand Final.
Today also includes an exciting schedule of AFLW matches for Grand Final Eve, featuring a double-header at IKON Park, before a Friday night match at Whitten Oval. A Grand Final morning match between Collingwood and Essendon across the road from the MCG at Punt Road will round out two days of exciting AFLW action.
The Grand Final Parade and tomorrow’s blockbuster Grand Final will cap off another memorable September in Melbourne with unprecedented crowd numbers. More than 447,000 footy fans have descended on the MCG across five incredible finals this September.
The AFL Grand Final Parade kicks off at 10:30am at Grand Slam Oval in the Melbourne Park Precinct.
As stated by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos
“The AFL Grand Final Parade is a highlight of AFL Grand Final week and we’re proud to support this exciting new route which will bring fans closer than ever to their footy heroes.”
”Alongside the free Footy Festival, it will be a huge day of fun for fans and families, celebrating everything that makes the AFL Grand Final so special to all Victorians.”
