The blow came almost as quickly as the AFL's Sydney derby had been locked in for Ballarat's Mars Stadium.

Greater Western Sydney and Sydney players were relocated to Queensland this morning following a late-night AFL switch in a bid to out-run a growing COVID-19 threat across Victoria.

City of Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney said the City would continue to promote its position as "an island of stability for the AFL", having successfully pulled off a late call-up to last round's fixture, hosting Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast on Sunday.

"It's pretty disappointing, but this year is about rolling with whatever opportunities present," Cr Moloney said.

"This would have been a bonus game for us and, at one stage, it was potentially looking absolutely brilliant with AFL four weeks in a row in Ballarat. If it turns out to be two out of four, or three out of four, we are grateful for the opportunities that come up when they do. We have to be ready to jump at them."

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The Courier understands more than 2000 tickets to Mars had already been sold by Wednesday night. Football fans across the region had been particularly keen to see Sydney Swans' headline act Lance 'Buddy' Franklin in action and up close on their turf.

Western Bulldogs remain pencilled in to host Adelaide on Mars Stadium in a week's time, but the Bulldogs have also decamped to Queensland on Thursday morning ahead of their clash with Gold Coast.

There remains a slight chance touted that Greater Western Sydney might host Port Adelaide in Ballarat in a fortnight's time, depending on state border closures.

Wendouree MP Juliana Addison said the Giants and Suns had both made clear how happy they were with services and facilities at Mars Stadium on Sunday. Ms Addison said while it was disappointing to lose out this weekend, the result showed a lot about how Ballarat was a willing and able partner to the AFL on short notice.

"We've got the skills, we've got the people, however, during a COVID pandemic, we really just have to follow the health advice," Ms Addison said.

"We've got a reputation now that we can do things at short notice and depending on how the year goes and the season goes, the AFL knows that we're going to be a great partner in the future at short notice.

"I really want to thank everyone who works at council, who works around the clock when we have these short timelines. Things like this don't just happen, but it's also built on longer term relationships and the City of Ballarat is a great partner to work with, whether it be the state government or the AFL, and their reputation means we will get future offers as required."

Committee for Ballarat chief Michael Poulton said that losing the Sydney derby was a tough blow for so many people across the region who had already put in so much work to make the game happen.

Mr Poulton said Ballarat had to move on and take comfort in having produced a great AFL base on short notice last week.

"You can understand the AFL's concerns but there were three new (COVID-19) cases in Queensland today - where isn't this virus going to reach?" Mr Poulton said.

"This is a reminder the risk is ever-present and vaccinations are vital."

The lost game comes as Ballarat was named the inaugural winner of Victoria Tourism Industry Council's top town award on Wednesday night.

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