| 2000 Ansett Australia Cup | |
|---|---|
| AFL pre-season competition | |
| Season | 2000 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Winners | Essendon (4th title) |
| Matches played | 27 |
| Attendance | 325,736 (average 12,064 per match) |
| Michael Tuck Medallist | Mark Mercuri (Essendon) |
The 2000 AFL Ansett Australia Cup was the Australian Football League pre-season Cup competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2000 Premiership Season began.
Unlike most pre-season cup competitions that start in February, the 2000 Cup started on 31 December 1999 with a one-off Match of the Millennium between Carlton and Collingwood, most notable for the competition record 12 goals by Brendan Fevola.[1][2] The competition culminated with the Grand Final in February 2000 between Essendon, the eventual 2000 AFL Premiers, and the Kangaroos, the reigning 1999 AFL Premiers. Essendon's undefeated run through the pre-season was a precursor to their dominance in the premiership season, in which they only lost one match.[3] The final was held in February, rather than March as per most other pre-seasons, due to the season being played earlier in the year so that the finals would not clash with the 2000 Summer Olympics to be held in Sydney in late September.