Footy great and Melbourne lord mayoral candidate Anthony Koutoufides has proposed taking the AFL Grand Final Parade back to the future.
In a bid to breathe life back into the city and benefit businesses, former Carlton captain and premiership star Koutoufides believes the parade should return to its original route through the CBD.
And he vowed to lobby the AFL, state government and City of Melbourne to return the parade to Swanston St and the heart of the city if elected to Town Hall.
Melbourne lord mayor hopeful Anthony Koutoufides is calling for the Grand Final Parade to be brought back to the CBD. Picture: Wayne Taylor
“The current Grand Final Parade route ignores the businesses in the city that have been doing it tough, especially since the crippling lockdowns during Covid,’’ he said.
“We have hundreds of empty shop fronts in the city and we need to do more to keep those that are still here, not push major events away from the city’s heart.”
The Herald Sun recently revealed the parade of grand final teams and the premiership cup would next week follow a revised path through Melbourne’s iconic sporting precinct.
After starting at Melbourne Park Oval, it will pass through the home of the Australian Open tennis grand slam, wind through Birrarung Marr and finish in Yarra Park outside the MCG.
An artist’s impression of the 2024 AFL Grand Final Parade route.
In 2022 the parade sailed down the Yarra River in a one-off route ditched after being panned by fans who said they could not see the players they were watching from the banks.
But previous parades stopped traffic in the CBD, from the Old Treasury Building, down Spring St and Wellington Parade to Yarra Park during Richmond’s recent glory years.
And its most traditional route started in St Kilda Rd adjacent to the Arts Centre, travelled north into Swanston St, right into Collins St and concluded at the Treasury Building.
The AFL opted for the current route in a bid to make it accessible and enjoyable to as many fans as possible but Koutoufides said it came at the expense of Melbourne’s cafes, restaurants and retailers.
Lachie Neale with daughter Piper and coach Chris Fagan at the 2023 AFL Grand Final Parade. Picture: Lachie Millard
“We need more activity in the city and this event presents the perfect opportunity to brings hundreds of thousands of Melburnians into the CBD during grand final week and on the public holiday,” he said.
Koutoufides took part in parades ahead of Carlton’s appearances in the 1995 and 1999 grand finals: “when the streets were lined with footy fans and the shops, cafes and restaurants were filled with people.’’
He said moving the parade back into the CBD would benefit fans and retailers.
Lions fans will again be out in force at the 2024 AFL Grand Final Parade. Picture: Lachie Millard
He also suggested moving the AFL’s free “footy festival” now staged in Yarra Park to a prominent CBD location, such as Federation Square.
“We have some great public spaces in the heart of the city, and we need to think differently if Melbourne and its businesses are going to survive and thrive,’’ he said.
“Our city is well served by public transport and I’d love to see families in the CBD during the week enjoying the footy festivities and eating and dining at our cafes and restaurants across the CBD.’’
The parade route has been changed seven times since it was first staged in 1977.