Subsequent to announcements made by the Prime Minister today, in relation to mass gatherings of over 500 people, the AFL has today advised us that, as of tomorrow (Saturday, March 14), NAB AFLW matches will now only host players, coaches, essential club officials, umpires, AFL officials, broadcast teams, media & required venue staff, with no supporters permitted to attend.
This means that our NAB AFLW match against Gold Coast on Sunday, March 15 will be closed to the public. While we are disappointed that we won’t be able to welcome our members and supporters to our first AFLW home match at Mineral Resources Park, the health of everyone concerned, including spectators, is paramount.
The match will still be broadcast live on Channel 7, starting at 2.00pm AWST, so we encourage you to tune in to the broadcast, and you can also follow the action through updates on our social media channels.
The AFL has also determined that Toyota AFL Premiership matches, including our Round 1 match on Sunday, March 22, will also be closed to spectators. How long any restrictions in relation to mass gatherings are in place is anyone’s guess at this point and we will continue to take advice from the AFL and relevant authorities. We all hope the restrictions will be short term.
We know our members and supporters will have many questions following today’s announcement from the government, especially in relation to membership and ticketing, and we are working through these with the AFL.
Those who have purchased tickets for Round 1 of the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership season via Ticketmaster will receive a refund, while arrangements for members will be determined and communicated as soon as possible. Ticketmaster will communicate with all ticket purchasers early next week.
Further, we have taken the difficult decision to close our facilities at Mineral Resources Park (including the Superstore and Aquila Café) and our office in Melbourne, from Monday, March 16, until further notice. Our online store will still be in operation and we will continue to fulfil online orders.
We will provide updates as soon as we know more and in the meantime, we appreciate your understanding and patience, as we all try to limit the spread of this virus and its impact.
Kind regards,
Trevor Nisbett
Chief Executive
