Night lights possible for VFL Grand Final

Quote:Night lights possible for VFL Grand Final 13 June 2007 Herald-Sun Mike Sheahan GRAND Final weekend could soon become an even bigger footy feast in Melbourne. The Victorian Football League plans to explore the concept of a night grand final at Telstra Dome on the eve of the AFL's biggest day. AFL Victoria chief executive Peter Schwab said last night: "It's an interesting concept; I'm happy to explore the idea." The revelation comes 10 days before the AFL Commission considers a Ten Network proposal to reschedule the AFL Grand Final as a twilight event. While AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou remains committed to an afternoon event, the commission hasn't dismissed the Ten push. The VFL, which usually plays its grand final on the Sunday of the AFL's preliminary final weekend, has struggled to "sell" the event in recent years. The change to the following Friday night has obvious merit with tens of thousands of visitors in Melbourne for the weekend. "The idea has merit because there are so many extra people in town that weekend," Schwab said. The night final idea came from Port Melbourne president Peter Saultry after an informal meeting of presidents a few months ago. Saultry, a former AFL umpire, said last night: "We talk about things we think should be put on the agenda. "We've got to try new things. If it does click, it would be the greatest thing ever. "If it bites us on the bum, bad luck, we know we've tried something. I raised it with him (Schwab) after his first meeting (as chief executive)." Sandringham and Geelong attracted an estimated 12,000 people to the 2006 grand final at Princes Park. Saultry said the VFL grand final had lost its aura since the days 30 years ago of crowds as big as 32,000. "Personally, I feel we've got to try other avenues," he said. Schwab said: "I don't think we should rule anything like that out. It might be a bit hard to get it up this year, but, as a concept, it's not bad. It's just got to fit in with a few criteria." Schwab said the obvious concerns were the two-week break between the preliminary finals and the grand final, costs, and the attitude of the clubs. The grand final at Princes Park costs $80,000-100,000, but would cost considerably more at Telstra Dome. "The first step would be to discuss it internally, speak to the board, carry out what they call the due diligence," Schwab said. "You never know until you try, but you wouldn't want to lose a heap of money." One obvious impediment is the VFL's arrangement with the ABC, which telecasts games on Saturday/Sunday afternoons. The ABC is highly unlikely to consider interrupting regular Friday night programs for a football game.