2026 Proposed Fixture Changes

[Kane McGoodwin]

They will have to change that preseason game.

But I see a lot of good with the rest of the changes, if a rd 1 showdown is the cost, so be it. At least we aren’t sitting there holding our you know what’s in round zero waiting to play!

Sure, but my suggestion for round 1 maximises games in Queensland & NSW, whilst not having a showdown.

A Showdown & Derby would take attention away from Queensland & NSW games!

Best of both worlds.

 

[George CantStandYa]

Sure, but my suggestion for round 1 maximises games in Queensland & NSW, whilst not having a showdown.

Best of both worlds!

What’s your suggestion?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

How about they just do double up games in Queensland & Sydney in round 1 so they get the extra exposure.

Then everyone else just plays games as per normal.

Here you go George...

 

[Southerntakeover]

I get that, but every second year our first game is away. I can see the build up to the showdown in week 1 being huge.

Plus at that stage neither team are good or bad, no one has played a game. There’s no real form line so there’s a lot of unknown going into the game which I believe will add to it.

We also do get a second showdown in the year.

Yeah, reasonable minds can disagree I suppose. I just think it's a far far far far far far far worse product than getting the game later. I'd rather play on the road in week one than open with the Showdown. And given the fixture rarely gives us anything marquee to enjoy as an attending fans other than the Showdowns, using them in a cheap gimmick designed to boost the loser clubs like Gold Coast kind of sucks.

As I say, I think it diminishes one of the few genuine spectacles. For what? So we can say everyones playing in their home state? Why is that even desirable.

Just get rid of week zero or whatever its called and run a proper schedule. Why is all of this nonsense necessary? It diminishes the sport.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Here you go George...

I don't even like that.

Why are we so quick to accept that a competitive sports competition should be designing its schedule around 'boosting the sport' in states that don't care about it at the expense of league integrity (which of course is already sorely lacking), or even if you were just caring about commercial realities the fan base that actually watches it.

This is a worse product. Why do we have to negotiate on not wanting it?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I don't even like that.

Why are we so quick to accept that a competitive sports competition should be designing its schedule around 'boosting the sport' in states that don't care about it at the expense of league integrity (which of course is already sorely lacking), or even if you were just caring about commercial realities the fan base that actually watches it.

This is a worse product. Why do we have to negotiate on not wanting it?

All.it does is means they all play their home games in round 1. Doesn't give them extra home games over the course of the year or impact on the integrity.

Why is this such a big issue for you?

 

[George CantStandYa]

Here you go George...

I don’t get it, what do you mean play double up games?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I don’t get it, what do you mean play double up games?

All of Lions, Suns, Swans & Giants play home games in round 1 to maximise exposure in those states.

The other games occur as normal.
1 game in SA & WA
3 games in Victoria

 

[George CantStandYa]

All of Lions, Suns, Swans & Giants play home games in round 1 to maximise exposure in those states.

The other games occur as normal.
1 game in SA & WA
5 games in Victoria

I can’t see that being that big an event, it’s just effectively another 2 games in NSW/QLD.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I can’t see that being that big an event, it’s just effectively another 2 games in NSW/QLD.

Doubles their exposure.

Give them primetime Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights. Also, give them all quality opponents.

Round 0 sucks.

Hate the idea of showdowns & derbies in opening round.

 

[Southerntakeover]

All.it does is means they all play their home games in round 1. Doesn't give them extra home games over the course of the year or impact on the integrity.

Why is this such a big issue for you?

Why is everyone playing at home in week one important or even desirable?

People play on the road every other week, and teams have gone on the road in week one since the games existed, but suddenly it's a problem that requires solving?

I think this makes Showdowns a lot worse. I like Showdowns, as they are. Which is not made shitter to suit a dumb marketing gimmick.

Solutions in search of problems because the AFL has too many people employed with too much time on their hands. We should be demanding ways to make the fixture fairer not this garbage

 

[Southerntakeover]

Oh, did you mean why does week zero suck?

Some teams getting a head start impacts competitive balance in the real week one. Also having incomplete rounds this early in the year to accommodate byes kind of stinks.

Also, frankly, soft starting the year with teams no one cares about is a bad way to raise enthusiasm.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Why is everyone playing at home in week one important or even desirable?

People play on the road every other week, and teams have gone on the road in week one since the games existed, but suddenly it's a problem that requires solving?

I think this makes Showdowns a lot worse. I like Showdowns, as they are. Which is not made shitter to suit a dumb marketing gimmick.

Solutions in search of problems because the AFL has too many people employed with too much time on their hands. We should be demanding ways to make the fixture fairer not this garbage

Did you miss the part at the AFL wants more exposure in Queensland & NSW in the opening round... with no rugby on?

How do you achieve this, but allow all teams to still play?

Round 0 with only 4 games sucks imo & means a more inequitable draw as these teams all get a jump start.

My solution maximises the exposure, whilst allowing all teams to start off on the same footing.

 

[1970crow]

Did you miss the part at the AFL wants more exposure in Queensland & NSW in the opening round... with no rugby on?

How do you achieve this, but allow all teams to still play?

Round 0 with only 4 games sucks imo & means a more inequitable draw as these teams all get a jump start.

My solution maximises the exposure, whilst allowing all teams to start off on the same footing.

I’m not sure how an SA showdown in round 1 helps solve a QLD/NSW exposure problem in that round.

 

[FR0GGY]

Find some of these schemes Eddie comes up with absolutely nauseating.

Except it wasn’t his scheme it’s the afls

 

[Southerntakeover]

Did you miss the part at the AFL wants more exposure in Queensland & NSW in the opening round... with no rugby on?

How do you achieve this, but allow all teams to still play?

Round 0 with only 4 games sucks imo & means a more inequitable draw as these teams all get a jump start.

My solution maximises the exposure, whilst allowing all teams to start off on the same footing.

Who cares though? It's a stupid goal, they should just realise that and grow up.

No one in Queensland is going to adopt the sport because we bastardised our season to play a singular match there.

 

[MrBarry]

Except it wasn’t his scheme it’s the afls

I think it's his pitch to the AFL.

 

[FR0GGY]

I think it's his pitch to the AFL.

I thought he started with “we can now reveal the AFL…”

 

[Captain Furious]

Have round 1 be a celebration of football as a national game, play 1 game a night (only night games) over 2 weeks, playing everywhere (except Melbourne). The northern state clubs can have the first 3 games and the 2nd Thursday.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (night in Adelaide before Adelaide Cup), Monday (Cairns or Darwin), Thursday, Friday, Saturday and finish with a blockbuster at the G Sunday twilight.

Play Cairns, Darwin, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Ballarat, Adelaide, Perth, Tassie.

 

[Captain Furious]

State of Origin - 2 weeks before round 1, play a single game each year as a 6 team round robin to determine national champion over a 5 year period. Same as current U18s - Vic Metro, Vic Country, SA, WA, Allies + Indigenous All Stars.

Teams of 30 to allow plenty of rotations. 10 players from each club in rep teams (chosen in draft style).

Remaining players on each list play practice matches that same weekend - that way clubs won't keep players out of it or complain if there's injuries. Everyone is playing regardless.

 

[Captain Furious]

I used to love the International Rules games when I was a kid but couldn't care less now. It's a different sport. The players don't care either.

 

[Straight Outta Crompton]

Have round 1 be a celebration of football as a national game, play 1 game a night (only night games) over 2 weeks, playing everywhere (except Melbourne). The northern state clubs can have the first 3 games and the 2nd Thursday.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (night in Adelaide before Adelaide Cup), Monday (Cairns or Darwin), Thursday, Friday, Saturday and finish with a blockbuster at the G Sunday twilight.

Play Cairns, Darwin, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Ballarat, Adelaide, Perth, Tassie.

Ambitious to think the (V)AFL will skip themselves, when the crux of the proposal is to work the new schedule around other Victorian sports events, in order to bring the focus of footy back to them.

My reading between the lines is, SA got Gather Round to compensate for not receiving a Covid GF, which we would never get because Vic HQ knew once there was a taste for a rotating GF venue, that cat would never get back in the bag - they gave it instead to Qld (non-core AFL state) and WA (setting up the argument that it's too far away from the rest of the country to be a permanent fixture).

Ironically, Gather Round has become too successful, hence the need to gift the northern states Round Zero. Those compromises are now long forgotten - Eddie and the rest just see the dollars, exposure and opportunity leaving their state, and want in. Your proposal only works if HQ are willing to promote the interests of a truly national sport, but they've shown time and time again no interest in cutting the umbilical cord to the home state

 

[Captain Furious]

Ambitious to think the (V)AFL will skip themselves, when the crux of the proposal is to work the new schedule around other Victorian sports events, in order to bring the focus of footy back to them.

My reading between the lines is, SA got Gather Round to compensate for not receiving a Covid GF, which we would never get because Vic HQ knew once there was a taste for a rotating GF venue, that cat would never get back in the bag - they gave it instead to Qld (non-core AFL state) and WA (setting up the argument that it's too far away from the rest of the country to be a permanent fixture).

Ironically, Gather Round has become too successful, hence the need to gift the northern states Round Zero. Those compromises are now long forgotten - Eddie and the rest just see the dollars, exposure and opportunity leaving their state, and want in. Your proposal only works if HQ are willing to promote the interests of a truly national sport, but they've shown time and time again no interest in cutting the umbilical cord to the home state

Definitely ambitious. Could maybe cull the Ballarat game and have the final game of round 1 as a blockbuster (eg. Carlton v Collingwood or Richmond) as a Sunday twilight. Give them a bringing it all back home cheese vibe to placate them.

 

[DJ75]

Should AFLW be considered when scheduling the men's comp?

Yes. They should be trying to grow the game and the womens game is the biggest growth factor.
They don't have to neglect the mens comp to do that. It's not one or the other.

 

[screech]

They aren't but if the players really wanted to play SoO we'd be playing it.

They dont, in fact they want fewer games and shorter games.

If the AFL sees that additional revenue can be made from it (i.e. extra TV rights as it is in addition to the current agreement), it will likely happen, they may even make it lucrative to the players to make sure of it.

Select the All-Australian team from the performance in the state games, etc. There are ways to make the players "want" to play it.