Fantastic new for the AFL and smaller Victorian clubs. Stadium deals with Etihad have been a burden which should ease under new agreements.The AFL has bought Etihad Stadium for $200 million nine years early to deliver the biggest boost to tenant clubs struggling under onerous deals to play at the roofed venue.
The long-anticipated buyout, which will see the free-hold and the management rights transfer to the AFL, was confirmed on Friday after state government sign-off. The handover will take effect within weeks.
The deal is likely to result in major upgrades to the 54,000-capacity ground, which opened in 2000. The tenant clubs' financially punishing stadium agreements – which can mean clubs pay to play in low drawing matches – will now be revisited by the AFL as the new owner.
The stadia deals of St Kilda, North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, in particular, have been one of the main financial burdens for the clubs, creating one of the main imperatives for the AFL to move to purchase the ground ahead of the initial 2025 handover date.
Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon was thrilled at the announcement capping a big and successful month for the club.
He said the tenant clubs had largely paid off the venue for the AFL over the past 15 years due to their stadium arrangements.
"Both the affected clubs and all clubs as a whole have a joint interest in making sure that the stadium tenancy agreements do not create unfairness," Gordon said.
It will also be interesting to see if the attendance increases given much of level 2 wasnt avaiable to AFL fans given the ridiculous Access One arrangements. Good news all round. One of the many benefits of having Australia's largest sporting revenues
liar extraordinaire 
