The Melbourne Cricket Club is delighted to confirm the venue capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be raised to 50 per cent for Round 1 of the 2021 AFL Premiership Season.
The MCC have been in ongoing conversations with the Victorian Government and the AFL to reach a venue capacity that will see up to 50,000 fans back to the MCG when the new AFL season resumes on Thursday, March 18 between Richmond and Carlton.View: Members' arrangements for the 2021 AFL Premiership Season
The capacity is an increase from the 30,000 fans who attended the 2020 Boxing Day Test and 15,000 fans allowed in for the Big Bash League matches in January.
The season-opener sees marks fans attending an AFL football game at the MCG for the first time in 537 days.
“We’re so pleased to be able to welcome back footy fans - 50,000 of them - to the MCG in Round 1 for the first time since the 2019 AFL Grand Final,” MCC Chief Executive, Stuart Fox said.
“Considering where we’ve come from over the last twelve months, being able to host 50,000 footy fans at the MCG will be a truly special moment, not only for Victorians but for our passionate staff who have worked tirelessly to make this happen.
“Our COVIDSafe Event plan has been endorsed which outlines a number of measures to assist us in capacity management, contact tracing and supporting good hygiene practices. These measures include the MCG being sectioned into five zones, the introduction of digital tickets which will replace paper tickets and cashless transactions at all of the Ground’s outlets.
“Following today’s announcement, the MCC and AFL will work together to announce plans for ticketing arrangements and on-sale dates in the coming week.”
The Members’ Reserve will operate at 50 per cent of its full capacity and arrangements to access tickets set to be sent to members in the coming week.
Many of the same arrangements first seen at the 2020 Boxing Day Test will remain in place for the 2021 AFL Premiership Season. These include:
- The MCG being sectioned into five zones to assist in capacity management and contact tracing. The MCC Members’ Reserve will be one of the MCG’s five zones.
- All MCC members will need to pre-book and obtain a ticket through Ticketek for every game they wish to attend.
- Members will not be charged a fee to secure a ticket into the Members’ Reserve and booking tickets will be done on a first in, best dressed basis.
- Once a member has successfully booked a ticket, their membership card will be activated for entry to the relevant match. For entry into the Members’ Reserve, each member must carry their membership card and have access to their Ticketek issued digital ticket. To enter the Members’ Reserve, a member must only use their membership card to gain entry. The ticket issued by Ticketek will display your reserved seating details. This ticket will not provide entry into the Reserve.
- The MCG has put into place a number of measures to support good hygiene practices, including:
- Cashless transactions across all outlets – MCC members have the added option of utilising their MCC Plus+ card to make purchases within the Members’ Reserve.
- The MCG’s Official Hygiene Partner, Dettol, has installed 275 Dettol Instant Hand Sanitisation Stations throughout the ground to ensure players, staff, members and fans can easily access the trusted germ protection of Dettol.
- There will be signage displayed outside and inside the Ground to encourage physical distancing and the wearing of fitted face masks in congested areas.
- Attendees will be required to check into the MCG by utilising the Service Victoria app to scan the displayed QR codes and follow the prompts to check in.
- No cloaking facilities will be available at the MCG for the 2021 AFL Premiership Season.
Further details will be provided shortly to members about the access arrangements and ticketing on-sale dates for the 2021 AFL Premiership Season, including dining options. Updates will be provided via email, on the Club’s website and via our social media channels.
The 2021 AFL Premiership Season fixture will be released in stages due to the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The AFL have released the dates and timings of matches to Round 6, while also outlining the venues and teams for the further 17 rounds of the home and away fixture.
Click here for more details and to view the fixture.