Coronavirus: Australian Football League opens with Melbourne derby in empty 100,000-seat stadium

Last year’s corresponding match drew 85,000 fans

The Australian Football League, the country’s best-attended sporting championship, opened its season on Thursday with two Melbourne teams playing in an all but empty 100,000-seat stadium as club bosses fretted about the coronavirus impact.

While the pandemic has brought sports to a shuddering halt across the globe, Australia’s major leagues are grimly ploughing on with a “too big to fail” mentality while shutting out fans as part of containment efforts.

The social distancing measures ensured a surreal atmosphere at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where defending champions Richmond Tigers played cross-town rivals Carlton Blues in the AFL’s now-traditional season-opener.

Last year’s corresponding match drew 85,000 roaring fans to the hulking stadium.

But only a smattering of staff, officials and media were present to watch the teams battle for the first championship points on Thursday.

Only 11 days earlier, the MCG packed in 86,000 in a festive atmosphere to see Australia’s women cricketers beat India for the Twenty20 World Cup title.​

A number of clubs have already suffered Covid-19 scares, with players showing symptoms quarantined for testing before being cleared.

Majak Daw, a Sudan-born player for the North Melbourne Kangaroos, was the latest footballer to alert the AFL on Thursday, when he was sent home by the club after turning up to training with a cold.

In seasons past, he would have trained regardless of the symptoms, said North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw.

Reuters