17th June, 2014
The AFL Commission has approved a Good Friday game but no decisions have yet been made about when it would be introduced and where.
AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick said on Monday that the commission had approved the scheduling of a game on Good Friday.
"There has been a growing appetite to hold a game on this day and on balance we believe the time is right," he said.
The move comes amid opposition from Christian groups including the Victorian Council of Churches which has reportedly asked that a percentage of gate takings be donated to charity – a move which was also pushed by at least two football clubs, the Western Bulldogs and Kangaroos, who have both reportedly asked for the game to be a major contributor to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.
Anglican Bishop Philip Huggins was quoted as saying he was disappointed in the move in light of discussions he had had with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
"The AFL has chosen to preference another money-making opportunity over respect for cultural traditions and sensitivities, continuing the grinding banality of product marketing," he was quoted in The Age as saying.
– DAVID ADAMS
