Brighton Homes Arena to host AFLW Grand Final
Brisbane Lions’ new headquarters, Brighton Homes Arena at Springfield, will host the 2022 AFLW Grand Final after the Lions won their preliminary final to earn hosting rights.
It'll be the first match at the new $80 million facility, located 28km south-west of Brisbane in the City of Ipswich, after the Lions administration relocated from the Gabba last month.
GM of Finance, Clubs and Broadcast at the AFL Travis Auld thanked everyone involved in the preparation of the new venue.
“On behalf of the AFL, I want to thank the Brisbane Lions and their staff for their remarkable effort in getting the turf at Brighton Homes Arena ready and thank the Queensland Government, Federal Government and Ipswich City Council for their support in developing the venue which will be an incredible asset for football in the state,” Auld said.
“After an independent turf inspection at the venue this week, the turf was deemed suitable to play, clearing the way for the Brisbane Lion’s state-of-the-art home base to host an AFLW Grand Final if Brisbane win.
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“The AFL are working with the Brisbane Lions and a government-led task force to address all that needs to be prepared at Brighton Homes Arena. All hands are on deck to prepare the venue in time for an AFLW Grand Final, should the Brisbane Lions win on Friday night.”
The Gabba is unavailable due to cricket and Metricon Stadium, which hosts tonight's Preliminary Final between Brisbane and Adelaide, is also unavailable next week due to a festival. Other options including Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns had been mooted, while the availability of Brighton Homes Arena wasn't confirmed until today due to its turf only recently being installed.
The turf at the 8000-capacity stadium was given the tick of approval during the week by experts, meaning the game can go ahead. The venue still needs some finishing touches applied before Sunday including the installation of its video scoreboard, interchange benches and other match day infrastructure.
Earlier on Friday, the AFL confirmed two other potential venues had been confirmed - Marvel Stadium and Hisense Oval (Richmond Oval). However, with Brisbane Lions defeating the Adelaide Crows, Brighton Homes Arena was locked in.
The 2022 AFLW Grand Final will be held on Sunday November 27 at 1.40pm AEST (2.40pm AEDT / 2.10pm ACDT) between the Brisbane Lions and Melbourne at Brighton Homes Arena. Tickets go on sale Monday and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
