The AFL Grand Final Sprint is a sprint running race contested by AFL players as part of the on-field entertainment on the day of the AFL Grand Final. The sprint was held each year from 1979 until 1985 and again in 1987 (when the league was known as the Victorian Football League), and then again every year since 2002. Geoff Ablett (Hawthorn / St Kilda) has won the most Grand Final sprints, with four; three of them consecutive (1979—1981).
Sprint race
The staging running races as curtain-raisers to, or half-time entertainment during, football matches has been a common practice since the early days of football in Victoria. The establishment of a running race on the field during grand final day between players who were not taking part in the game first occurred in 1977. For the Grand Final days in 1977 and 1978, long-distance races run over a mile were staged, with each league club able to nominate up to two entrants. In 1979, the race was changed to a 100 m sprint, with one player per club taking part.
Between 1979 and 1987, the two clubs participating in the grand final had the option of providing one of their players who missed selection in the match, but they generally chose not to do so, meaning the sprint was usually contested by a field of 10 players during this era.
The race was not held from 1988 to 2001 but was reintroduced in 2002 (along with a goalkicking contest, which only lasted one year). With the number of league clubs having grown to 16 during the break in competition, a new format was adopted, with the players now split into two groups of eight for the heats (held before the grand final), and the top four from each heat advancing to the final (held at half-time of the grand final).
From 2006 until 2008, a handicapping system was used, similar to that used in the Stawell Gift.
In 2020 and 2021, the Grand Final sprint took place at quarter-time rather than half-time. In 2022 and 2023, the sprint took place before the game. In 2024, there were heats held before the game, with the final occurring at half-time.
In most years, entry has been limited to one player from each AFL club. On two occasions, two slots were open to players from regional leagues, resulting in regional league-player victories on both occasions. In 2016, suburban footballer James Shirley won the race, while taxi driver Harvinder Singh (competing because the race was sponsored by taxi company 13cabs) finished last; and in 2018, under-18s footballers Godfrey Okereneyang and Melvin Monieh came first and second, respectively. The 2021 race was limited to Western Australian participants, as border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented others from travelling to Perth where the match and race were held.
Winners +List of AFL Grand Final Sprints, with year, winning sprinters, winning clubs, leagues represented, host city, and state and territory hosted in Year Winner Club League Venue City State / territory 1979 Geoff Ablett (3) Hawthorn Victorian Football League (VFL) Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Melbourne Victoria 1980 1981 1982 Michael Conlan Fitzroy VFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 1983 Frank Marchesani Carlton VFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 1984 Douglas Cox Essendon VFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 1985 Geoff Ablett (4) St Kilda VFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 1986 colspan="2" VFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 1987 Russell Richards Melbourne VFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 1988—2001 colspan="2" Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL) MCG Melbourne Victoria 2002 Jared Crouch Sydney AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2003 James Walker (2) Fremantle AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2004 2005 Brett Deledio Richmond AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2006 Brendan Fevola Carlton AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2007 Jake King Richmond AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2008 Matthew White Richmond AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2009 Rhys Stanley St Kilda AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2010 Luke Miles St Kilda AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2011 Patrick Dangerfield (3) Adelaide AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2012 2013 2014 Jordan Murdoch Geelong AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2015 Majak Daw North Melbourne AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2016 James Shirley Murrumbeena Southern Football Netball League (SFNL) MCG Melbourne Victoria 2017 Connor Menadue Richmond AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2018 Godfrey Okereneyang Coolamon Riverina Football Netball League (RFNL) MCG Melbourne Victoria 2019 Ben King Gold Coast AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria Jordan Clark Geelong 2020 colspan="6" 2021 Josh Rotham West Coast AFL Optus Stadium Perth Western Australia 2022 Hugo Ralphsmith Richmond AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2023 Max Holmes Geelong AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2024 Beau McCreery Collingwood AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2025 Jed Walter Gold Coast AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria 2026 Jed Walter Gold Coast AFL MCG Melbourne Victoria
Total wins by club +List of AFL Grand Final Sprint wins by club, with total wins, clubs, player(s), and year(s) shown Wins Club Player(s) Year(s) 5 Richmond 3 Adelaide Patrick Dangerfield Geelong Hawthorn Geoff Ablett St Kilda 2 Carlton Fremantle James Walker Gold Coast
See also List of AFL Grand Final pre-match performances – Annual pre-match or half-time entertainment Fox Footy Longest Kick – Annual kicking competition
References