Victorian footy fans have received a major boost ahead of round two, with crowd limits lifted to 75 per cent of stadium capacity.

The move was announced by the Victorian Government on Tuesday morning.

It will mean 43,440 people can attend matches at Marvel Stadium from this weekend – with the Western Bulldogs to host the West Coast Eagles at the Docklands venue on Sunday afternoon.

For home games at Ballarat’s Mars Stadium, 8,335 people will now be able to attend.

Thursday night’s Carlton-Collingwood game will be open to 75,000 people, while 27,819 people will be able to access Geelong's Friday night date with Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium.

The move comes less than 24 hours after the AFL conceded on Monday it was unlikely crowd restrictions would be eased in time for round two.

Matches returned in Victoria in round one with crowds at 50 per cent capacity.

Ticket allocations will increase in-line with the bolstered capacity of the venues with Club and AFL members continued to be prioritised. General Public tickets will also be available.
 
The announcement comes after 248,030 fans attended matches in round one.
 
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan welcomed the announcement to safely get as many fans back to the footy as possible.
  
“As footy returned across the weekend you could really feel the excitement in the air throughout Melbourne. It felt like the rhythm of the city had returned and the announcement today should only amplify this,” Mr McLachlan said.
 
“In Round One to have the biggest crowd at a sporting event in Australia since the Covid pandemic is a testament to the passion and support of footy fans and I know we will only build on that number in the coming weeks.”