St Kilda is open to hosting AFL premiership season matches at Moorabbin amid a growing push for the competition to return to Melbourne’s suburban grounds when the shutdown is over.
Fixtures are likely to be played behind closed doors, at least initially, if and when the AFL is given the green light to resume the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
That won’t happen until at least June, and quite possibly significantly later.
The AFL season could end up running as late as December, putting it on a collision course with cricket over premier venues such as the MCG and Marvel Stadium.
Cricket will have exclusive use of those venues from October for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the home Test series against India and the Big Bash League.
It means the AFL will need to make alternative ground arrangements, while the grand final could be played outside Victoria for the first time.
The Western Bulldogs this week flagged the possibility of hosting premiership season fixtures at Whitten Oval for the first time in more than two decades.
St Kilda’s Moorabbin base, now known as RSEA Park, and Carlton’s Ikon Park would also be obvious candidates to host matches.
The three venues all hosted AFLW matches this year and their surfaces and facilities are up to the standard required for AFL fixtures without crowds.
A St Kilda spokesperson told AAP the club would be open to the potential use of RSEA Park if it was required.
“If there was a need for additional grounds to be available then we would be open to using RSEA Park, which successfully hosted AFLW games and a Marsh Series game this year,” the spokesperson said.
“Marvel Stadium looks the most likely option for St Kilda matches but we would of course do what was best for the fixture in order to complete another 16 rounds plus finals.”
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire is among the high-profile figures to have backed the push for the AFL to return to Melbourne’s suburban grounds.
The Magpies’ former home at Victoria Park and Essendon’s Windy Hill have not been used for AFL matches this century, but could be in the mix after hosting VFL fixtures as recently as last year.
“There’s a real opportunity to do that and that could be something that comes up again with the dramas that have been going on about whether Marvel Stadium would be available because of cricket,” McGuire said on Triple M on Tuesday.
“I think that these (suburban) venues are going to play a far bigger role with the women’s football and whatever the second-tier VFL competition looks like eventually once we get things going.”