Expansion 2018 Fixture and Beyond - Some Thoughts

[telsor]

• Vics play at least one away game in either the ACT/Tas/Cairns (currently 10 games) as well.

I'd make this 'one game', if clubs play home games in other states, they don't need an away game too.

I imagine clubs would be pissed to get big drawing teams interstate, which would reduce the attraction of hosting such games...The hosts/AFL would need to fork out more if this was to happen.

• WA teams should play away in the NT to reduce their travel burden slightly. And to prevent them from having to travel to Tas.

Darwin is only 70km closer to Perth than Melbourne (2655km v 2725km), so I doubt this would really matter much.
With direct flights from Perth to Tas, that's roughly the same too. (2966km to Launceston)

• Thursday nights every week - rotated around non victorian venues, except opener i guess - all clubs would get at least 2 'blockbuster" fixtures
• Friday nights every week - rotated through victorian clubs - all clubs would get at least 2 "blockbuster matches'

Would bring about a lot of travel-5day break situations for non Vic clubs, especially as Friday nights are predominantly Vic clubs.

 

[telsor]

Playing each team once would obviously even up the draw considerably which i don't think anyone would complain about.

However probably not viable now with the 18 teams - TV revenue would surely take a hit. Add another couple teams to the competition and it might become a reality? Especially if the number of Thursday night games were increased.

Would love to see a third team in Perth and a Tasmanian team in 10 years time.

One of the problems with 'play each other once' fixtures is that it would make it even harder to add more teams in the future...In addition to the usual problems, they'd also need to get the players to agree to a longer season (even if it's just a return to what was previously the norm).

 

[speedpeck23]

Playing each team once would obviously even up the draw considerably which i don't think anyone would complain about.

However probably not viable now with the 18 teams - TV revenue would surely take a hit. Add another couple teams to the competition and it might become a reality? Especially if the number of Thursday night games were increased.

Would love to see a third team in Perth and a Tasmanian team in 10 years time.

Agree with this, but I would attempt to engineer a team for NT and Tassie rather than another WA team....Interesting if you do the maths...20 clubs 20 rounds....have a final 9 (10 matches) = 209 matches for season with 2 byes for each club. Currently we have 198 games during season + 9 finals = 207 games. So basically the AFL clubs are putting on almost the same number of games per season but there would be a wider spread and you are adding two passionate supporter based clubs, using same venues and retaining byes. Every state represented.

 

[baaaall!]

With Game 2 of State of Origin next year held on a Sunday Night in Sydney, with no other NRL games that weekend the opportunity opens up for the AFL to Schedule blockbusters in Brisbane and Sydney on the Friday and Saturday Nights.

Also would the AFL consider running a game head to head with the SOO Match? (Which kicks off at 7:25 AEST) Perhaps a matchup such as West Coast vs Adelaide starting at 4:40 AWST.

 

[The_Wookie]

With Game 2 of State of Origin next year held on a Sunday Night in Sydney, with no other NRL games that weekend the opportunity opens up for the AFL to Schedule blockbusters in Brisbane and Sydney on the Friday and Saturday Nights.

Also would the AFL consider running a game head to head with the SOO Match? (Which kicks off at 7:25 AEST) Perhaps a matchup such as West Coast vs Adelaide starting at 4:40 AWST.

The AFL wont put a game up againt Origin outside of its own schedules. 7pm on a Sunday night very much outside of its scheduling.

 

[baaaall!]

The AFL wont put a game up againt Origin outside of its own schedules. 7pm on a Sunday night very much outside of its scheduling.

A 4:40 game in WA is not, is 6:40 on the east coast: We have certainly had this fixture before.

 

[speedpeck23]

A 4:40 game in WA is not, is 6:40 on the east coast: We have certainly had this fixture before.

It seems enticing for the AFL to go head to head with SOO but really what is achieved? The major impact would be a to alienate sports fans in Qld and NSW....the very same people you want to attract to AFL.

 

[officialjc]

i would love the crows to get fixtured against a hawthorn, richmond, collingwood or essendon at the g on a friday or saturday night, fta, several times next season. adelaide fans when up and about would travel in droves and there is plenty of vic following as well like myself. i feel the matches will be exciting with around a 40000 - 70000 crowd.

 

[gopies1981]

i would love the crows to get fixtured against a hawthorn, richmond, collingwood or essendon at the g on a friday or saturday night, fta, several times next season. adelaide fans when up and about would travel in droves and there is plenty of vic following as well like myself. i feel the matches will be exciting with around a 40000 - 70000 crowd.

Not sure if Adelaide have a big enough following like Sydney to draw a crowd of 70,000 against a Collingwood, Richmond or Essendon at that g. Actually the biggest home and away crowd the crowd have played in front of was 52,000 in 2008 against Collingwood which was on a Saturday afternoon at The mcg. I would give you that the crowds would ave 3-5,000 fans when they play at the mcg they maybe get 60,000 like the eagles did against Collingwood when 63,000 turned up but that games was 1st v 2nd on the ladder in 2012 having 60,000 Collingwood fans helped

 

[footyfan1978]

Craig Hutchinson commented that he believes the fixture is going in for a major overhaul as follows (from memory):
Rounds 1 to 19
*Play 17 Games, Two Byes
*Thursday Night game every week

Round 20
*Heritage/Rivalry/Derby Round
*Evens out Home and Away to 10 each for every club

It is a reasonable starting point so far.
However I do not agree with a Thursday game every week or that two byes every week.
I prefer the first 4 weeks we play as we do now with 9 games each week.
Then for next 9 rounds 2 teams have a bye on same weekend and follow up playing each other after their bye on the Thursday night. Do that for 9 Thursday's in a row and everyone has had a bye once, then we got back to finish up to end of round 17 and every club has all had one bye, all meet each other once.

At that point get inventive with the aim still to have the final 5 weeks teams have as even as draw as possible. No conference bullshit, just use common sense. All 18 clubs have a week off to have every club with their second bye of the year. At the same time the AFL come up with the final 5 rounds fixture as evenly as possible. In those 5 weeks they make sure the major rivalries are in at some point but it has to fit within the overall fairness and no compromises. Every club has to have 11 home games and 11 away games. No exceptions to this.
In that week off all other leagues around the nation, including country and suburban leagues are playing representative games and this is celebrated as grass roots footy week and also include a Legend's type game for television on the Friday or Thursday night. Have The football Hall of Fame that same week. Take advantage of all 18 clubs having their second bye to celebrate these other things. After that it is down to last 5 rounds. Supporters have been given enough time to look at last 5 rounds and organise interstate trips where possible. The television execs get happy as that is 5 weeks they get to pick and choose the best games for each round for their live games to cover.

The general expectation is the model should deliver something like if you are in top 6 the last 5 games you are playing, one team in bottom six, two teams in middle six and two in top six.
If you bottom six, you get one game against a side from top 6 and two from bottom six and two from middle six. The middle six teams are playing one team from middle six, two from top six and two from bottom six. But the fixture for final 5 rounds is worked on at start of July. Not the previous October. The previous October should only draw up the fixture for when each club meets the other 17 from March to end of June.

This would still deliver plenty of Thursday night games without overdoing it.
Also delivers free to air live tv games of final 5 weeks to be picked and chosen from at start of July.
The only real downside is a few thousands fans that like have rounds 18 to 22 known the previous October to book their trips interstate months in advance. Now they will have to accept for later July and all of August you won't know for sure whom or where you side playing until first week of July when it is announced.