Fans urged to enjoy GF responsibly

THE AFL and Victoria Police are urging footy fans to enjoy Saturday’s Toyota AFL Grand Final but to plan their day so they don’t risk their safety or that of others.

Police will be out in force on Saturday, with extra numbers called up to help with the flood of people expected at the MCG and in and around Melbourne’s CBD.

AFL’s Chief Operating Officer Gillon McLachlan said the League was working closely with the police to ensure fans at the game and other venues such as Federation Square had a great day but also a safe grand final day.

“By all means soak up the atmosphere of the grand final and enjoy the spirit of the day, but do so in a safe and responsible manner … we’re not saying don’t have a drink; but just think,” McLachlan said on Wednesday.

In a bid to head off trouble or incidents, Victoria Police has called in extra numbers from metropolitan stations to help out on the day.

Police will man train stations to ensure fans get to the ground safely, as well as having a strong presence at Federation Square, the MCG and the city area.

“What we want people to do is plan ahead and think about what they’re going to do,” Superintendent Stephen Leane from Victoria Police said.

“In order to make sure people get home safely we’re doing something that we did last year for the first time.

“We’ll be setting up booze bus operations around the car parks of the MCG … quite pleasantly we found [last year] late in the evening on Saturday night there were 200 vehicles still left in the car park at the MCG.

“At least 200 drivers decided that after having a drink it wasn’t wise to drive home.”

The AFL has also warned scalpers of the repercussions should they attempt to attend the day, while also telling fans to be on the lookout for fakes.

“I want to remind people that scalping tickets is illegal and anyone identified selling grand final tickets above face value without AFL authorisation can be prosecuted,” McLachlan said.

All public and AFL Members’ tickets had been sold for the match while just a handful of corporate packages were expected to be snapped up by Wednesday evening.

The AFL is also eager to ensure fans buying merchandise and memorabilia on the day purchase the genuine, AFL-approved article.

“We have processes in place to identify anyone trying to rip supporters off by selling low-quality fakes,” McLachlan said.

All genuine AFL gear will carry a special AFL swing tag – to ensure their AFL club benefits from any sale.