Essendon and Richmond to take extra Dreamtime fixtures to Perth
Each club has sold one home game to Western Australia across two years, while the traditional MCG fixture will remain unchanged.
Essendon and Richmond will each host a Dreamtime match at Perth’s Optus Stadium over the next two years, adding a second annual meeting during NAIDOC week without replacing their Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash at the MCG.
The additional fixture is set for Round 16 in early July. Essendon will be the home club in 2027, with Richmond taking that role in 2028.
The Perth game will carry the name Dreamtime at Maali, using the Noongar term for black swan. The clubs previously met at Optus Stadium in the COVID-affected 2021 season, drawing a sellout attendance exceeding 55,000.
Extra seating at away matches at the MCG is expected to be arranged for Essendon members in 2027. That would offset the lost home fixture and maintain the number of times members can watch the Bombers at their home ground.
Confirmation is expected with the AFL’s full fixture announcement. North Melbourne already has a three-year agreement to stage two home fixtures per season in Western Australia and is two years into that deal.
