Victoria’s AFL Grand Final Eve will be changed to a kind of “Thank You Day” this year, in order to say thanks to everyone for hunkering down and making sacrifices all through lockdown.
That means even though Queensland will be hosting the Grand Final on October 24, Victorians will still get a public holiday a day earlier. Mark October 23 on your calendars, folks.
“Confirmation of the Grand Final date also means that the Government can lock in the popular AFL Grand Final Eve public holiday for Friday, 23 October – a ‘Thank You Day’ for Victorians who have made so many sacrifices as part of the community effort to contain the spread of coronavirus,” the Victorian government said in a statement.
Celebrations will obviously be dependent on the state of lockdown restrictions in late October, but even a day of rest is a nice way to unwind from what really has been A Year™.
“The pandemic is a life and death battle and we cannot risk our hard-fought gains for the sake of rushing back to crowds before it is safe,” Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula said.
That’s why it was not only important to move the event, but to also show gratitude to everyone stuck at home.
He added that the Grand Final has now been confirmed for every year in future until at least 2058 – one year later than the original, pre-coronavirus agreement.
AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan also acknowledged “this is a tough time for all Victorians.”
“We look forward to returning our Grand Final to the MCG in 2021,” he added.
