The New South Wales government is looking to double NRL crowds when finals kick off in just over two weeks – including 40,000 fans at ANZ Stadium.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian looks set to increase stadium capacities to 50 per cent from October 1, as reward for the state keeping coronavirus case numbers under control.
Crowds are currently limited to 25 per cent capacity with a maximum of 10,000 people. But the one person per four square metres rule is about to be halved on hills and in corporate boxes.
“I just want to foreshadow the government will have something to say about that in the next few days,” Berejiklian said on Wednesday.
“(We) have done some good work given the input from health on what we consider a safe way to host some of these events into the future.
“NSW is holding the line well. We are doing well and we want to keep it that way.
“When it comes to major sporting events we are, through health input and also the great work by police, looking at how we can have some of those key events in a COVID-safe way to support the direction NSW is going.
“But also as a big thank you to the community for working with us to get us where we are today.”
The Newcastle Knights could host 17,000 fans at McDonald Jones Stadium under the new rules, while the Parramatta Eels can have a similar crowd at Bankwest Stadium.
The Melbourne Storm will also host a final in week one at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in front of a maximum crowd of 25,000 people.
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