Sport
Green Light for Good Friday Football
In a break with tradition, the AFL has announced it is open to scheduling a match – maybe more than one – on Good Friday.
The AFL and its clubs have long debated whether or not to play a football match on the religious holiday, with many clubs having lobbied for the right to take part in the event.
At this stage the AFL has not confirmed the teams – or even the states – that will be involved and the organisation has floated the idea that the Good Friday fixture could be shared between multiple clubs, with none having a permanent hold on the occasion.
North Melbourne has pushed hard for the right to play on Good Friday for more than 20 years. The Western Bulldogs have also lobbied the AFL for some time to be part of the occasion, but the AFL has not guaranteed either side will take part in the game.
The AFL says it is 50-50 at this stage whether or not to schedule a match for 2015 or wait for the following season. If the first AFL match played on Good Friday does take place in 2015 it will coincide with Round 1 of the season.
It is highly likely that Richmond and Carlton will open the season with what has become a traditional Thursday night match, which would be played the night before the Good Friday game. Hawthorn and Geelong would almost certainly continue to play their Easter Monday clash and powerhouses Collingwood and Essendon are likely to be excluded given they already have a hold on Anzac Day footy. That leaves 12 teams – just 4 Victorian-based teams – from which to choose.
Regardless of the teams involved, it seems likely the match would be linked to the annual Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal. Channel 7 broadcasts the Good Friday Appeal every year and would also be the likely broadcaster of the AFL event.
