AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan explained why Perth did not host the 2020 Grand Final.
The NFL announced Wednesday that the major event will take place in GABA on Saturday, October 24th, in what will be the first nightly decision.
The association also declared Adelaide Oval as their backup place in the event of a last-minute spike in COVID-19.
McLachlan said the strict restrictions imposed on the Western Australian border were the main reason why Optus Stadium was not chosen to host the event.
“Perth was not in third place,” McLachlan told reporters on Wednesday.
“Obviously it’s a great place and they can reach a similar capacity (30,000) but what I can say is they have the toughest miss in the country.
“Ultimately, to play any finals there including the Grand Final, there has to be a seven-day quarantine before we can enter the match.
“Everyone understands the challenge of playing with it.”
Talking on Blend 94.5 Radio, Western Australian Prime Minister Mark McGowan said securing the rights to host the Grand Final was not a priority.
“What we’ve said along the way is that you need to adhere to our quarantine and safety terms, and we’re not going to give you millions of dollars, so we’ve been very strict about that,” said McGowan.
“Western Australia has the best stadium and strongest crowd in the NFL but they have gone to Queensland for other reasons.
“My first and second priority is keeping everyone safe and getting jobs back, so AFL is third away.”
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