Unfortunately, it's that kind of thinking that will screw the game up for everyone.Call me naive, but I couldn't care less what the international audience thinks or wants. Do we really need a 'spectacle' that seeks to mimic every other 'spectacle' in terms of all of the peripheral BS that seemingly attempts to overshadow the game itself? Oh look how great our production is - just like yours - and we've even hired some of your major stars to make you feel at home and familiar with it all.
I'm surprised Ch7 aren't offering up the services of Redfoo or Ronan Keating.
Seriously though, Tom Jones sounds a bit "Midday Show with Ray Martin" to me. You need to have top notch entertainment (or as close to it) as this is the one game of the year that gets the international attention so we need to look beyond it being just our Grand Final and treat it as a major international sporting event. As with any other international sporting event we host, it should do Melbourne and Australia proud. A complete package of good football and half time entertainment is a must and the AFL shouldn't baulk at spending money on a major current artist to really put the international spotlight on AFL football.
It is hard to create a spectacle during the day, so they should give a night GF a go at least one year, and all going well, maybe even alternate between day and night in the years after that.
As for night Grand Finals, no thanks. Oh, but I forgot, it's all about the MONEY isn't it!
You can already see that crowds and interest in the game have pretty much maxed out. Crowds are down because of the 'look of the game', due to expense (it's bloody expensive now and isn't a family event anymore) and also the scheduling is goddam terrible.
They are attempting the GWS and Gold Coast teams to grow interest in the game where there never used to be interest. Those teams must work, otherwise our league won't grow. Where would we be if we said, 'fark the rest of Australia, leave it in Victoria only'? We'd be like the SANFL.
The AFL needs to grow into other markets and Australia is about as maxed out as it can get. To grow through Asia and the rest of the world, it needs a strong vision and a dedication to it.
The purpose of a GF entertainment package is it can get the crowd there at times where it usually wouldn't (food outlets would love this) and it can be marketed throughout Australia and the world (if done well).
An entertainment package at the NFL Super Bowl (let's start comparing it to the best local sport in the world) lasts from 12noon all the way to midnight. The crowd is in their chairs from 6pm to the very end of the game. At the halftime entertainment, nobody leaves their seats! Go to any grand final and the crowd leaves for the entire half time and doesn't turn up until 30 minutes before the game.
The NFL could have been naive and said, fark the rest of the world, but they now offer international packages to the Super Bowl while also giving plenty of supporters ticketing access (there were definitely more team fans at Super Bowl than I've ever witnessed at GF). We seriously need to start thinking globally, otherwise, our game will die a slow death.
As far as a night Grand Final, I'm all for one, but think we should stay with a day GF. I think we need more time to be comfortable with a night GF. The first night game was in the late 70s. It took until the early 90s to get a night final, so it should take another five to ten years to get a night GF.