Dreamtime at the ’G will be shown during prime-time next season in a blockbuster clash to be played on a Friday night for the first time.
Essendon will host Richmond in round 11 at the MCG on Friday, May 23 in the second week of Sir Doug Nicholls round, which highlights the significant contribution Indigenous Australians have made to the game.
Richmond’s war dance before Dreamtime at the ’G match in 2022.Credit: Getty Images
The brainchild of Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend Keven Sheedy – a four-time premiership coach at Essendon and a three-time premiership winning player at Richmond – has attracted more than 80,000 fans on seven occasions but has not reached that mark since COVID, having been played on Saturday nights for its duration.
Bombers CEO Craig Vozzo said both clubs believe the build-up to the game will be as big as ever in the Friday night timeslot after becoming one of the season’s most highly anticipated matches since it was first played in 2005.
“We are excited to host Dreamtime at the ’G for the first time on a Friday night in 2025. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the club to work alongside the Long Walk, Richmond and the AFL to further elevate how we celebrate this iconic game,” Vozzo said.
“Friday night football attracts a big broadcast audience, and we look forward to the new iteration of the Long Walk on a Friday afternoon that will captivate the Melbourne CBD, engage the football community throughout Melbourne and fans across the country.”
The Long Walk from Federation Square honours Essendon great Michael Long’s walk to Canberra in 2004 to highlight the plight of Indigenous people. The clubs expect the new timeslot will enable more school students to participate in pre-match celebrations, including the Long Walk.
The match will be broadcast live on the Seven Network free to air, with Dreamtime at the ’G one of the marquee games to remain on free to air for the length of the broadcast agreement, which runs until the end of 2031.
Richmond CEO Shane Dunne said the Tigers had embraced the decision to move the game to the blockbuster Friday night timeslot.
“Moving Dreamtime at the ’G to a Friday night opens the audience and gives us a chance to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their contribution to the game on an even greater level,” Dunne said.
“As a club, we are incredibly proud of what this game has become, and it’s important that we continue to strive to enhance it. We feel that giving this premier occasion on the football calendar pride of place on a Friday night in Sir Doug Nicholls round certainly achieves that.”
