Penrith hope to have 8000 fans for their home final after the NRL’s biggest stadiums were cleared for Australia’s largest football crowds since the start of COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the new rules announced by the NSW government on Thursday, the state’s major venues will be able to operate at up to 50 per cent capacity from next month.
It means ANZ Stadium will be allowed 40,000 fans at matches, including any finals games, the October 25 grand final and State of Origin II.
The SCG can have crowds of up to 23,000, while Bankwest Stadium will be able to accommodate 15,000 spectators.
However, the number for suburban grounds is still up in the air, given the difficulties around what numbers can be allowed on hills.
The NSW government is confident those numbers could be resolved in time, with Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium’s status also uncertain.
Penrith hope to have a definitive answer by early next week for their qualifying final, with hopes they can operate at just under 50 per cent with slightly less than 8000 fans.
But regardless, they say they won’t move their likely week one game against Parramatta down the road to ANZ Stadium or Bankwest to allow more fans in.
“That’s the idea of having the advantage, you want to play at home in front of your home fans,” CEO Brian Fletcher told AAP.
“It’s just a matter of the health department having a look at our COVID plan we have in place at the stadium.”
The top-placed Panthers have been virtually the only Sydney club to sell out their 25 per cent capacity during the pandemic, since crowds were welcomed back in July.
Tickets for all finals will first be open to members of the two clubs, before any remaining can be snapped up by other fans.
“We’ve had some fans out here just salivating trying to get to games,” Penright coach Ivan Cleary said.
“It might prove to be a handy thing for the future with how hard it is to get a ticket … when you get held away from something it shows how good it is.”
As part of the protocols, spectators will sit in zones with different entry and exit areas, as well as hospitality and amenities for each zone to prevent mingling.
Fans will have to wear masks on entry and exit of the stadium but can take them off once in their allocated seat.
Ultimately, it means crowds at ANZ Stadium will be the biggest in Australia since 86,174 crammed into the MCG for the women’s Twenty20 World Cup final in March.
The increase comes as Suncorp Stadium is also expected to be able to hold crowds of 25,000 for Melbourne’s home NRL finals games.
Canberra have doubled their capacity at GIO Stadium from 3000 to 6000 this weekend, but are likely to ask for a further increase for a home final.
Meanwhile, planning around the finals is continuing with the Dally M Medal to still be held in grand final week.
While the AFL’s Brownlow Medal will be held as an entire virtual event, there is some potential that NRL players will able to attend a physical event with biosecurity approval whether in or outside the bubble.
