AFL buys Etihad Stadium for $150-200 million

FIRST ON 3AW

The AFL has officially taken ownership of Etihad Stadium.

The AFL would have taken ownership of the stadium for just $30 in March 2025, but decided to jump early.

Just a few weeks ago, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan told 3AW that plans were in the works to make a move.

‘There’s a chance. There was a chance six months ago and a chance a year ago,’ McLachlan told Neil Mitchell.

‘We just keep chipping away.’

And early on Tuesday, The Rumour File predicted the sale would be completed imminently.

Click play to hear Ross’ rumour

The price is believed to be between $150 to $200 million.

It is hoped tenant clubs St Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Carlton, Essendon, and North Melbourne will benefit from the deal.

Current deals with the stadium require these clubs to reach a crowd of around 26,000 to break even, a much higher threshold than other grounds.

North Melbourne Chairman James Brayshaw once branded the deal the ‘worst in the history of world sport’.