The 2021 A-League Grand Final will be hosted at Melbourne’s AAMI Park, with a 50% capacity designated for City’s home ground.
This heavily debated topic had dominated the headlines in prior weeks, with City fans expressing their apathy towards the decision to hold their home semi-final against Macarthur in Sydney, 45 minutes away from Campbelltown Stadium.
APL chiefs and City personnel worked around the clock in tandem with the Victorian Government to ensure the decision was made, with leagues commissioner Greg O’Rourke appearing on Fox Sports’ post-game coverage on Sunday to state that it is the APL’s primary motive to host the final in Melbourne.
It is understood that the final will be held one day after the originally scheduled final, kicking off at 5:05pm AEST on Sunday the 27th of June.
Unfortunately it may not be possible for some travelling Sydney FC fans to enter the stadium, with Greater Sydney rendered as a ‘red zone’ under the Victorian Department of Health’s traffic light system.
It is likely however, that Sydney FC players will be granted an exemption to enter Victoria to play their fixture against the A-League premiers.
“This announcement means that Melbourne City are deservedly able to play a grand final at home in front of a raucous crowd and we hope as many Sydney FC fans as possible will be there, given evolving COVID-19 restrictions across Victoria and NSW, to make it an enthralling occasion. The game is taking place on Sunday to make sure fans can plan their trip with the most time possible given this very late confirmation” Greg O’Rourke said
In a decision which football fans within Australia will rejoice, AAMI Park is bound to be fit and firing come Sunday afternoon.
Image Supplied: Melbourne City
