“Marvel’s the one”: Why Marvel Stadium should be used more for AFLW

As the AFLW continues to grow around Australia, Kane Cornes and Sam Edmund discussed the importance of using Marvel Stadium to give this sport the best chance to thrive.

It’s a busy time of year, with Marvel Stadium being prepared for Big Bash cricket following the AFL season, in addition to touring artists like The Weeknd, Travis Scott and Coldplay taking the stage at Marvel. However, Cornes and Edmund believe Marvel Stadium should be used for the AFLW.

“Marvel’s the one, as an AFL owned venue,” Edmund said on *SEN Breakfast

Cornes agreed, saying Marvel Stadium is “indoors, (can) protect yourself from the elements, and (can) control the temperature a little bit for when it gets really hot out in the sun. That’s the venue the AFL owns and should be used more.”

“The MCG’s not right for the AFLW, it’s just not. I mean it’s a cricket ground for a start so I understand why they’re playing cricket at a cricket ground, so to compare the two, I don’t think it’s right. It’s going to look a little bit ridiculous if the average crowd is 3,000 and let's be generous with that this year. Marvel is the better venue for AFLW.”

Edmund believes the league hasn't given games the greatest chance to succeed this season, with a compressed fixture leading to some timeslots that are tough to attend.

“The timing as well just gives people no chance, like there were 5:15pm games on a Wednesday. So I think that’s probably got to change. I would have liked to have seen some significant growth this year, every team is in and we’re expanding the competition. The women wanted it expanded quickly, but you’ve got to have the viewers and you’ve got to have the attendance to give it the best chance,” Edmund explained.

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