NRL boss Peter V’landys confirms Grand Final WILL remain in Sydney after agreement with NSW Premier

The NRL grand final is set to remain in Sydney long-term with Peter V’landys and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet reaching an agreement on key stadium upgrades.

ARL Commission chairman V’landys and Perrottet met for robust discussions on Friday, following a week of speculation that the showpiece event could move to Queensland.

V’landys had also floated the potential of a Super Bowl style system, where cities could bid for the right to host the grand final.

NRL boss Peter V’landys confirmed the NRL Grand Final will remain in Sydney 

But that will now not be the case, with both the NRL and NSW Premier extremely confident the match will remain in Sydney for years to come.

The deal must still be signed off, but it’s understood that provided the agreement from Friday remains in place the grand final will not move.

The two organisations are set to meet again in the next three weeks, where it will likely be finalised.

‘The meeting with the premier was robust, however extremely positive,’ V’landys told AAP.

Stadium Australia hosted the NRL Grand Final each year from 1999 until 2020

And V’landys confirmed the venue will continue to host the game showpiece event

‘Significant progress was made.

‘Both parties need to go back to their organisations, and will then document and try to finalise.’

Earlier on Friday,  V’landys said the NRL grand final was up for grabs until his demands were met.

‘We just want our suburban stadiums in NSW, we want that tribalalism to occur to walk to the games,’ he told the Today show.

Last year’s Grand Final was moved to Brisbane because of the coronavirus pandemic

‘We want those promises honoured by the NSW government. If they don’t we’ll take it elsewhere.’

Today host Karl Stefanovic’s suggested the demands were ‘almost bribery’ but V’Landys insisted the NRL had a deal with the NSW Government.

‘The deal it was they would spend $800 million on stadiums but rather than spending it on ANZ Stadium or Accor stadium as it’s now known, we want it spent on suburban stadiums,’ he continued.

And V’landys threatened to take the game away from Sydney and to Brisbane again

‘We want to build that tribalism, where games can be held. The government agrees with it but are so slow to move. We want ink on paper, that agreement in writing. 

‘Until we get that the grand final is up for grabs.’

NSW was originally slated to host the grand final until the 2042 season, as part of a deal reached in 2018.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and the NRL have reached an agreement to keep the NRL Grand Final in Sydney for the foreseeable future

However that contract was based on Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park being upgraded to a rectangular venue, an $800 million rebuild that fell through during the pandemic.

As a result the NRL had the power to consider the contract null and void, but instead wanted funds pushed towards the upgrade of suburban grounds.

A new stadium is already locked in for Penrith, while the likes of Brookvale Oval would also be in line if further upgrades are agreed upon.

Perrottet made clear before Friday’s meeting that he did not envisage any way in which Sydney could lose the grand final.

‘It’s all this little theatre that Peter V’landys is creating, it’s not happening,’ Perrottet said on Friday morning.

‘The grand final is not going to Queensland or anywhere else. Peter knows that, I know that.

‘Let’s have the dance but we know where this is going to finish and we’re going to have the grand final in Sydney.’

Brisbane hosted the grand final last year for the first time in the game’s history, however that only came as a result of the competition being moved to Queensland through COVID-19.