Melbourne to host A-League Grand Final with 50% capacity

The 2021 A-League Grand Final will be held at AAMI Park this Sunday afternoon with at least 50% capacity in a huge win for the competition's fans and integrity.

The 2020/21 A-League Grand Final will be held at 4pm AEST on Sunday afternoon, with tickets expected to go on sale immediately. Just over 14,000 fans will be allowed into AAMI Park for the decider.

In a great decision for Melbourne fans - who have undergone more than 160 weeks of lockdown in the past 12 months - and the broader A-League competition, the Victorian government have allowed the showpiece to go ahead with at least 50% capacity.

There were reports last night that the APL was set to lose $1 million in revenue by hosting the final in Melbourne at 50% capacity, with BankWest stadium in Western Sydney also available for a 100% capacity final.

But in a decision that's set to earn the APL some plaudits, in what becomes one of its first key public decisions as an organising body, Greg O'Rourke confirmed that they'd negotiated and accepted a half-capacity final.

Sydney FC will attempt to win a record third consecutive A-League Championship in Melbourne after the decider was confirmed as being played at Melbourne City’s home ground, AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon (5pm kick off).

The venue will operate at 50% capacity under COVID-19 restrictions, allowing for a crowd of up to 15,000 to attend the Grand Final.

It will be the second time the Sky Blues have played a Grand Final at the venue and the third time Sydney FC have be involved in the decider in the Victorian capital.

Only three teams have won the A-League Grand Final having travelled inter-state, including Sydney FC’s Championships in Melbourne in 2010 and Perth in 2019, however captain Alex Wilkinson is confident of creating more history.

“Playing in any Grand Final is always tough but we have the squad to be able to win any game,” he said.

“It’s good to know where we are playing and now we can get our heads down and focus on what we need to do.

“We’ve had a good week so far after our result on Saturday, and we are looking forward to a good crowd and having plenty of Sydney FC Members behind us.”