Victoria and New South Wales will reignite their age-old rivalry when they battle it out in the League of Legends: League of Origin Grand Final to be held on Saturday, November 17 at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
Held in front of a live audience, the electrifying atmosphere will also be broadcast live by Twitch, YouTube and Red Bull’s Facebook page, capturing all the action as Victoria go head-to-head with NSW in a best of five tournament.
Defeating Queensland and New Zealand in the Sydney play-offs last weekend, Victoria will look to defend their League of Origin title in the best-of-five tournament while NSW will be looking to take home the ultimate bragging rights.
AFL General Manager – Growth, Digital and Audiences Darren Birch said the prospect of renewing the Victorian and NSW rivalry in a stadium setting is exciting.
“The League of Legends: League of Origin Grand Final has allowed the AFL and Riot Games to explore the age-old rivalry between Victoria and NSW in an innovative and emerging setting,” Birch said.
“In an already hotly contested Grand Final, tensions will be heightened between the two neighbouring states with each player looking to defend both state and personal pride.
“Partnering with Riot Games, the AFL is excited by the opportunity to expand into the fastest growing industry in the world. League of Legends: League of Origin has provided the AFL with an opportunity to engage with a new audience.”
Victorian team captain Samuel “Spookz” Broadley said to play for Victoria in one of Melbourne’s state of the art arenas is a prospect he and the team are looking forward to.
“It adds a little more pressure to be playing for Victoria in your home state, but the team is really looking forward to it,” Broadley said.
“Margaret Court Arena is an iconic venue in Melbourne and to be able to compete on stage at such a venue in front of family and friends is a really exciting prospect.
“Hopefully we can feed off the atmosphere of a home crowd to get over the line.”
NSW team captain, Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland, said he was incredibly proud of how his team performed in the play-offs and looking forward to heading to Victoria.
“I was incredibly proud of the team’s efforts over the weekend. After initially struggling on the first day, we ended up being able to turn the score around and finish the play-offs strong,” Holland said.
“I think this says a lot about our mental fortitude which will be a strong asset heading into the Grand Final. We are all really excited to travel down to Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena this weekend and I expect a really good showing from us”
“We all have our state pride on the line and to win the series will be an excellent start to the 2019 season as well, we are looking forward to a clean series”
Don’t miss your chance to immerse yourself in the spectacle that will be the League of Legends: League of Origin Grand Final! Tickets are now on sale here.
Grand Final Details
5:30pm Saturday, November 17
Vic v NSW
Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Park