-
AFL 2024 fixture news
How the AFL plans to beef-up its Thursday night blockbuster schedule
More Thursday night footy is coming in the future. But how will the AFL navigate the tight turnarounds for players? Get the latest fixture whispers.
The AFLPA will attempt to safeguard the health and fitness of its players despite agreeing to the five-day breaks which allow the league to beef-up its Thursday night schedule.
The league and AFLPA agreed to a new deal as part of the collective bargaining agreement that will see clubs playing a maximum of three five-day breaks each home-and-away season.
It allows the AFL to schedule quality Thursday night games every week of the home-and-away season if it sees fit.
The new $643 million-per-year deal that kicks off next year requires the league to schedule the first 15 rounds with Thursday night football from 2025 onwards.
But a league that scheduled 11 Thursday home-and-away games and a Thursday night final is yet to lock in how many Thursdays will be in the 2024 fixture.
The AFL said when it brokered its TV rights deal it was in ?active discussions? about an earlier start time to Friday night football but new CEO Andrew Dillon is yet to get that deal over the line with Channel 7.
The league is expected to again lock in the first 15 or so rounds of the schedule for clarity then have a floating component to maximise blockbusters in the back-end of the season.
But the new-found flexibility with five-day breaks means the league can ensure the quality of Thursday night football, with the AFL believing big blockbuster games to start a round are important for the momentum and flow of a weekend?s action.
The new rules contained in the AFL CBA will give players the best chance to avoid injuries despite the added strain of multiple five-day breaks.
Those rules include:
Clubs cannot play successive five-day breaks.
A club cannot play a five-day break against a team which has had a seven-day break.
Clubs cannot play off a five-day break after travel to Perth.
WA-based clubs cannot play a home game then be forced into a five-day break if that fixture involves interstate travel.
Teams need at least three weeks between five-day breaks.
There are two options for maximising breaks before or after playing off a five-day break.
A club which is playing off a five-day break must have a six-day break in the previous round and a seven-day break in the next round, or a six-day break in the previous round and a seven-day break in the following round.
There is still discretion to change those protocols based on the rule ?in the AFL?s reasonable opinion is likely to impact on the AFL?s ability to comply with any of its obligations to AFL broadcasters?.
Under that scenario the player union and AFL will ?in good faith consider reasonable changes to the five-day break requirements?.
The league is likely to lock in a 26-week home-and-away season with four games in northern states as part of a split round 1, as well as the second AFL Gather Round early in the year.
-
Re: AFL 2023 fixture news
I'm not a big fan of Thursday night games but based on discussions I've had with friends they prefer it to the 4.40pm Sunday slots.
How hard will it be for teams with 5 day breaks scattered through the season?
-
Re: AFL 2023 fixture news
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
-
Re: AFL 2023 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
I'm not a big fan of Thursday night games but based on discussions I've had with friends they prefer it to the 4.40pm Sunday slots.
How hard will it be for teams with 5 day breaks scattered through the season?
I don't mind watching Thursday night games, but not keen attending
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Looks like we're going to be ditched for good Friday again. AFEL going with North and Carlton again. Don't think we'll see it again. Oh well. I wouldn't exactly call it a blockbuster fixture anyway.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bulldogsthru&thru
Looks like we're going to be ditched for good Friday again. AFEL going with North and Carlton again. Don't think we'll see it again. Oh well. I wouldn't exactly call it a blockbuster fixture anyway.
When you have the commentariat telling you it's packed to capacity and there's multitudes of visible empty seats on the screen you figure it's a fix and you move on.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bulldogsthru&thru
Looks like we're going to be ditched for good Friday again. AFEL going with North and Carlton again. Don't think we'll see it again. Oh well. I wouldn't exactly call it a blockbuster fixture anyway.
I don't really want to see it, but it would be interesting to see the crowd numbers if it was carlton v Collingwood. I think Good Friday is an inherently bad timeslot for a blockbuster. I've never been to one of the games because I head away for the long weekend.
As for Thursday night footy - it's purely for tv. Any decent crowds are a bonus - they want eyes on screens, not bums on seats.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jazzadogs
I don't really want to see it, but it would be interesting to see the crowd numbers if it was carlton v Collingwood. I think Good Friday is an inherently bad timeslot for a blockbuster. I've never been to one of the games because I head away for the long weekend.
As for Thursday night footy - it's purely for tv. Any decent crowds are a bonus - they want eyes on screens, not bums on seats.
It’s getting to EPL style now .. all about the viewers, soon they will find a way to have a fake crowd to fill the empty seats by AI
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ledge
It?s getting to EPL style now .. all about the viewers, soon they will find a way to have a fake crowd to fill the empty seats by AI
Don't the EPL have a Saturday 3pm game TV blackout in the UK to preserve crowds at the lower levels? It's the exact opposite of what the AFL do!
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Axe Man
Don't the EPL have a Saturday 3pm game TV blackout in the UK to preserve crowds at the lower levels? It's the exact opposite of what the AFL do!
Difference is the EPL have the whole world watching so it makes no difference.
AFL doesn’t have that luxury they need viewers in Australia to get bigger deals at Foxtel etc
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Apparently we are likely to play Melbourne at the MCG round 1 again. Marvel not available round 1 due to pink concerts that week.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Both us and them are under so much scrutiny at the moment . The headlines after the game on who loses will be already written.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Hopefully this means we avoid a trip down to Sedat Park.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
Two games in Mt Barker is a bit whack- I know they were super keen to get one in the Barossa but the AFL has now turned it down two years in a row.
I don?t know the ins and outs of it, but I would have liked to see one of the Norwood Oval games at a different SANFL venue. Glenelg would have made sense (striking distance to the Glenelg Main Street, beach and accommodation).
It?s great we are the headliners on Saturday night and the AFL owe us that much. As much as we didn?t deserve it, had we played just about anyone else in last years gather round we probably would have made finals.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
The Adelaide Connection
Two games in Mt Barker is a bit whack- I know they were super keen to get one in the Barossa but the AFL has now turned it down two years in a row.
I don?t know the ins and outs of it, but I would have liked to see one of the Norwood Oval games at a different SANFL venue. Glenelg would have made sense (striking distance to the Glenelg Main Street, beach and accommodation).
It?s great we are the headliners on Saturday night and the AFL owe us that much. As much as we didn?t deserve it, had we played just about anyone else in last years gather round we probably would have made finals.
Cats in Adelaide probably means we play them twice and we all know where we will play them the second time last round of the year.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ledge
Cats in Adelaide probably means we play them twice and we all know where we will play them the second time last round of the year.
I might be guessing but they're listed first in the gather round image so they should be the home team that game!
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bulldogsthru&thru
I might be guessing but they're listed first in the gather round image so they should be the home team that game!
Nah there is no home\away considerations for Gather Round. Won't have any implications on if we play them twice and where we play
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Going by last year's gather round only 3 matches were repeated later in the year. Us v Port. GWS v Hawthorn. Richmond v Sydney. The other 6 were stand alone fixtures.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Let’s hope we don’t play Geelong at Geelong next year then.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ledge
Let’s hope we don’t play Geelong at Geelong next year then.
Was nice to have got the win down there after 20 years but yeah it has never been a happy hunting ground for us and they had nothing to play for and had a lot of main players missing.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ledge
Let’s hope we don’t play Geelong at Geelong next year then.
We're on a streak down there...whatchootalkinbout???
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mjp
We're on a streak down there...whatchootalkinbout???
Hope we never play there again and finish on a high note.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
We are too perfect a fit to play in Geelong. Vic team without a large supporter base but been decent over last few years. Us and Dees = their main games up there most years.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rocco Jones
We are too perfect a fit to play in Geelong. Vic team without a large supporter base but been decent over last few years. Us and Dees = their main games up there most years.
Although each club who goes down there large or small supporter base gets the same allocation of a few 1000 I believe so nearly as good as an interstate game.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Round 1 to be split next season. A very early start to the season.
Opening round as follows and the rest of the teams play from March 14
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F-6-3j1b...pg&name=medium
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
So this is round 0?
I don't get it.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grantysghost
So this is round 0?
I don't get it.
they never stop meddling
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
What a terrible way to handle round 1. The teams/fans that play week 1 have an immediately bye just when they've got a taste for it and the teams/fans that play week 2 don't get to participate in the first week of football for the year. And that's most of them. Dumb!
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Sam Edmund reporting:
Round 1...
Carl-Rich Thu night MCG
Coll-Syd Fri night MCG
Ess- Haw Sat MCG
Geel-StK Sat night GMHBA
Melb-Dogs Sun MCG
Port-WC Sun AO
Freo-Bris Sun Optus
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
hujsh
What a terrible way to handle round 1. The teams/fans that play week 1 have an immediately bye just when they've got a taste for it and the teams/fans that play week 2 don't get to participate in the first week of football for the year. And that's most of them. Dumb!
The following week will be a full 9 games with bye's coming within the first 7 rounds.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
The following week will be a full 9 games with bye's coming withing the first 7 rounds.
That's... even worse somehow.
Also why are we the only team listed playing their first game against a team that has already played a match? Can we just not get screwed over by AFL Mickey Mouse BS for 1 year?
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Man if this is what the Dillon reign is going to be like the comp is ****ed.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grantysghost
So this is round 0?
I don't get it.
Two games in QLD and two in NSW so you would have to think it's to take advantage of the NRL hosting games in the US.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
Sam Edmund reporting:
Round 1...
Carl-Rich Thu night MCG
Coll-Syd Fri night MCG
Ess- Haw Sat MCG
Geel-StK Sat night GMHBA
Melb-Dogs Sun MCG
Port-WC Sun AO
Freo-Bris Sun Optus
Why do we always cop these guys at the G early. Why not rotate it and have it at Marvel for a change FFS!
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
Two games in QLD and two in NSW so you would have to think it's to take advantage of the NRL hosting games in the US.
Urgh ok. Thanks.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grantysghost
Why do we always cop these guys at the G early. Why not rotate it and have it at Marvel for a change FFS!
Marvel unavailable due to Pink concerts that week as I posted earlier in the thread.
Was obviously a Grand Final rematch in 2022, not sure why it has continued into 2023 and 2024.
-
Re: AFL 2024 fixture news
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Axe Man
Marvel unavailable due to Pink concerts that week as I posted earlier in the thread.
Oh god really. Ha gold. Thanks Axe.