THE AFL has confirmed that the Round 1 Sydney Derby will be played at the newly-named Accor Stadium . . . the venue that boasts the highest attendance for any AFL footy game played outside of Victoria.
The GWS GIANTS will host cross-city rivals the Sydney Swans on Saturday 19 March (First Bounce 5.10pm) in a game that could set further AFL and GIANTS crowd records.
AFL footy has not been played at Accor Stadium (Stadium Australia) since the unforgettable 2016 GIANTS v Swans Qualifying Final. The GIANTS won that game by 5 goals in front of a booming crowd of 60,222 – the highest ever attendance between the two Sydney clubs.
The highest attendance for a GIANTS v Swans AFL home-and-away fixture (Sydney Derby) is 38,203 for Round 1 2012 at Accor Stadium. This is also the highest home-and-away attendance anywhere for GIANTS v Swans or Swans v GIANTS.
It will have been 924 days between this match and the last time there was an AFL game with no restrictions in Sydney (GIANTS v Bulldogs final, 2019).
Accor Stadium has hosted 55 games as an AFL venue since 2002 and recorded the highest attendance ever posted outside of Victoria when 72,393 packed in for Swans v Collingwood in August 2003.
The Stadium has a very healthy average AFL crowd of 41,485 across the 55 games. In total, 2.2 million fans have attended AFL games at the ground.
Confirmation that the Round 1 Sydney Derby will be played at Accor Stadium is great news for AFL fans across NSW who will be able to be part of another historic sporting event at Sydney Olympic Park in the geographical heart of Greater Sydney.
It is also very good news for Accor Stadium Members who will get this blockbuster as part of their 2022 Membership package.
AFL 2022 ROUND ONE
GWS GIANTS v Sydney Swans
Saturday 19 March
Accor Stadium
5:10pm AEDT
