Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann made the following statement today:

“After considering the strong public reaction to the suggestion of having a real lion at our home games next season, the Club today took the decision to not pursue the idea.

“We listen to our members on all issues and in this case they have told us it’s a no-go, and we respect that.

“I’d like to re-iterate that the idea was only ever that – one of a number of initiatives discussed as part of planning for the 2015 season.

“We look forward to developing other ideas to make the game day experience something special for all our fans.”