Federation Square has become a victim of its own success

June 22, 2026 — 4:27pm

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In the early hours of Saturday morning, the atmosphere at Federation Square felt pretty unsafe.

Having queued for hours before being denied entry, they were cold, wet, frustrated – and in some cases spoiling for a fight.

When I arrived at 4.15am to cover the match for The Age, the security guard wasn’t letting anyone in.

“If I open the gate, and they see, they’ll rush it,” she explained. “We’ve just got to wait until they disperse.”

The “they” the security guard was referring to were the hoards of teenage boys milling around the area looking for a way in.

Some had been waiting since 2am to try to get inside, only for the gates to open at 4am and the square to reach capacity within about five........

© The Age