Fresh Snoop Dogg fears as domestic violence services brace themselves for AFL Grand Final day spike

Melbourne — As the AFL Grand Final weekend and other premiership deciders unfold over back-to-back long weekends, police, domestic violence services and other first responders in Victoria are bracing for a surge in calls amid finals fever, alcohol use and heightened gambling risk that can endanger women and children.

Victoria’s police data show a nine per cent rise in family-violence incidents over last year’s three-day grand final weekend, totaling 796 incidents. No to Violence, which works with men who have abused family members, says police referrals this weekend are expected to rise by about 35 per cent compared with previous years, though self-referrals from men seeking help tend to lag, chief executive Phillip Ripper told AAP.

Authorities caution alcohol and gambling can act as accelerators for violence, heightening risk. 'A lot of men are slower to realise that they need help and to reflect on their own behaviour and to recognise the harm they are doing to their partners, families and themselves,' Ripper said. 'We know that alcohol and gambling don’t cause family violence but they are accelerators that increase the severity of family violence and heighten the risk for women and children.'

National violence-prevention organisation Our Watch is calling on all in the sporting community to address the increased risks faced by women and children during finals season. 'To prevent violence from happening in the first place, we need to improve club cultures across all sporting codes,' according to Our Watch chief executive Patty Kinnersly. 'That begins with promoting respect for women, adopting codes of conduct that have zero tolerance for violence and disrespect and ensuring the responsible service of alcohol.'

Rapper Snoop Dogg will provide the AFL Grand Final entertainment, a controversial decision that was met with swift backlash when announced due to the use of misogynistic and offensive lyrics in some of his songs. In August, Respect Victoria co-signed a joint statement alongside 14 anti-violence organisations calling on the AFL to reconsider their engagement with the US performer. 'At a time when women are being killed and the country is in the midst of an epidemic of violence against women, hosting an artist whose lyrics promote violence, is dangerous and ill considered,' the statement said. 'The true test of the AFL’s commitment is whether it can use its considerable influence and platform in the grand final to truly make a stand (against violence) - hosting Snoop Dogg is a failure of this commitment.'

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has defended the code’s decision, saying the league engaged Snoop Dogg 'in 2025 as the person he is today'. 'We cannot vouch for every lyric in every song ever written or performed by any artist who has appeared on our stage, Australian or international,' he insists. '(Snoop Dogg) has spoken publicly about his past, he has changed, and today he is a grandfather, philanthropist, he helps rehabilitate youth and is a global entertainer who has performed at both the Super Bowl and the Olympic Closing Ceremony to audiences of more than 100 million people.'

Victoria Police has made a pledge to take all reports of family violence crime seriously and hold perpetrators to account. 'There is never an excuse for family violence and police will ensure that each crime is investigated and that all offenders are held to account,' says Family Violence Command acting assistant commissioner Sharon McKinnon. Alcohol-related offending such as public violence, affray and other criminal behaviour is also expected to spike, with legal experts warning that having too much to drink won’t hold up as an excuse should a matter wind up before a magistrate. 'If you make a decision to get drunk, then what you do while you are drunk is what you are responsible for,' says Armstrong Legal criminal law specialist Angela Cooney. 'A good night out can turn into a bad night out very quickly.'

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858