Eddie McGuire has revealed the proposal being discussed amongst government and AFL heavyweights to get up to 100,000 fans inside the MCG for the Grand Final.
Here's how it will all work.
Watch here: https://twitter.com/FootyonNine/status/1420364868654444544-------------------------------------------------
Eddie McGuire has lifted the lid on a radical plan being tabled to the AFL and the Victorian government to allow a full house at the MCG for this year's grand final.
Despite crowds not being allowed at AFL fixtures in Victoria until at least Round 22, the bold plan, which would cost the AFL between $2 million and $2.5 million, aims to get 100,000 patrons into the MCG for the September 25 showpiece.
The plan, which is the brainchild of The Big Group's Bruce Keebaugh and Response Global's Dr Ian Norton has already been pitched to both the AFL and Visit Victoria, according to McGuire.
Under the proposal, fans with a ticket would need to pass two rounds of COVID-19 testing to enter an 'MCG precinct' closed off from the public by a "ring of steel" - one standard PCR test on the Wednesday prior to the grand final and then a Rapid Antigen Test on the day of the grand final, with results for the Rapid Antigen Test expected within 10 minutes.
The proposed grand final precinct would cover the MCG, Margaret Court Arena, Rod Laver Arena, John Cain Arena, the Holden Centre, AAMI Park, Punt Road and Gosch's Paddock, and would be able to house 200 COVID-19 testing sites.
Individuals attending the grand final would first have to answer screening questions before undergoing a swabbing and a temperature check upon entry. The test would then be linked to the grand final ticket.
The test result would be verified within 10 minutes and linked to the ticket ID before entry is allowed.
While the Rapid Antigen Test has one in 10,000 false positive rate, McGuire stated that individuals who return a false positive would simply undergo another test that would determine their entry.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/afl/eddie-mcguire-reveals-radical-plan-to-save-mcg-grand-final-ring-of-steel/3559f4a3-030b-4fb9-bd64-effc1e567776