Why are the games so long?

[Heeney2Franklin]

Most quarters are going for 30+ now tho just something i noticed

 

[Nugett]

Yes the games are way too long. So I propose instead of quarters we have halves. Reduce the halves to a minute each. Because of lost revenue, price of tickets go up by 3000% and instead of having finals, all players receive participation medals instead…

 

[Bay53]

Most quarters are going for 30+ now tho just something i noticed

Saw something on the 1966 Grand Final the other day. In the last quarter the scores were Coll 3.2 to St K 2.5, not unlike scores of today. Mike Williamson says it is 28 1/2 mins gone, Whitten says "hit the boundary line" (no insufficient intent in those days) and Mynott kicks to the outer wing and the siren goes. That is with 25 min quarters.

These days it would go for 32-33 mins.

 

[basashi]

I think the games should be longer and more whimsical.

 

[Bay53]

This issue has been looked at by the Age.

Think footy games are dragging on this season? The numbers show you’re right

Once upon a time, an AFL coach simply had to ask their players for “120 minutes of effort”. But fresh analysis of the most recent AFL match data shows the real number is now closer to 130 minutes.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

The Bulldogs v North game in Round 1 was over 136 minutes. The Geelong v Freo game (which I went to and it delayed the start of the Swans v Lions game) went for 135 minutes.

Throw ins and ball ups have increased from an average of 58.3 per game in 2021 to 68.4 this year. This surprises me because the insufficient intent rule means the boundary can't be your friend.

Secondary stoppages have gone from 13.6 in 2021 to 19.6 this year and were slightly higher last year.

I went to 6 1/2 games at Gather Round last weekend and I think there was one quarter that went for less than 30 mins. (Can't remember which game it was now but I remember noticing it).

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Saw something on the 1966 Grand Final the other day. In the last quarter the scores were Coll 3.2 to St K 2.5, not unlike scores of today. Mike Williamson says it is 28 1/2 mins gone, Whitten says "hit the boundary line" (no insufficient intent in those days) and Mynott kicks to the outer wing and the siren goes. That is with 25 min quarters.

These days it would go for 32-33 mins.

Not only no insufficient intent, but it also wasn't deemed time on. Going to 20 minutes quarters was, in part, to allow for the clock to stop on out of bounds for throw ins. Its a far less effective time killing tactic than it used to be.

 

[Bay53]

Not only no insufficient intent, but it also wasn't deemed time on. Going to 20 minutes quarters was, in part, to allow for the clock to stop on out of bounds for throw ins. Its a far less effective time killing tactic than it used to be.

Correct. The rule changed in 1994 to go from 25 mins to 20 mins with the clock to stop when the ball was out of bounds.

Part of the reason they waited to 1994 to change it was they then had timekeepers boxes where all the boundary line could be seen.

 

[Billy ray]

30 secs after goal has doubled by default. Plus then goal reviews.
Plus umpires boundary and field taking forever to restart play

 

[hawkman]

30 secs after goal has doubled by default. Plus then goal reviews.
Plus umpires boundary and field taking forever to restart play

Which leads to more congestion and more stoppages adding more time to the game

 

[javaguice]

Is it just me or have the games got noticeably longer over the past few years? I went to 5 games over the weekend and I don’t think there was a quarter that was under 30 mins.

I get that we now have a far tighter concussion protocol and the score review system but what else has changed?

I am pretty sure the move from 25 mins quarters to 20 mins, but far more time on came in around 1994 but quarters were much shorter in the 90s despite there being far more goals. You also can’t play for the boundary line any more.

Does anyone have any stats on this?

Its not netball.

 

[deck]

This issue has been looked at by the Age.

Think footy games are dragging on this season? The numbers show you’re right

Once upon a time, an AFL coach simply had to ask their players for “120 minutes of effort”. But fresh analysis of the most recent AFL match data shows the real number is now closer to 130 minutes.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

The Bulldogs v North game in Round 1 was over 136 minutes. The Geelong v Freo game (which I went to and it delayed the start of the Swans v Lions game) went for 135 minutes.

Throw ins and ball ups have increased from an average of 58.3 per game in 2021 to 68.4 this year. This surprises me because the insufficient intent rule means the boundary can't be your friend.

Secondary stoppages have gone from 13.6 in 2021 to 19.6 this year and were slightly higher last year.

I went to 6 1/2 games at Gather Round last weekend and I think there was one quarter that went for less than 30 mins. (Can't remember which game it was now but I remember noticing it).

2 issues with that article. First 2025 data is incomplete so irrelevant when comparing to full seasons. 2nd while it does mention goal reviews it doesn't really go in to too much detail and how much time is being used on them.

 

[BigPond101]

A minute between goals is insane. Essendon vs Adelaide had 40 goals so well over an entire extra quarter just watchung commercials and waiting to bounce the ball.

On Foxtel without commercials they replay each goal 4 times which is fascinating when it's a standard set shot from 20 metres out, and after 4 replays you still have to watch the umpires awkwardly standing around until it's time to bounce

 

[deck]

30 secs after goal has doubled by default

Isn't it 45 secs between goals now? I'm pretty sure it has been that way for at least 10 years.

 

[wingersclub]

Well going for Melbourne, the 30 minute qtrs feel like an hour each. I must have some bad karma because I beg for it to end after the first 5 minutes…

 

[Vintage]

I’d be happy if they cut quarters by 10 or 15%.

Would make it easier on players playing in the hotter months. Add another round or 2 to the season. More revenue, more double ups (fairer), less injuries, still a long game for those that like long games.

 

[SC_Power]

I’d be happy if they cut quarters by 10 or 15%.

Would make it easier on players playing in the hotter months. Add another round or 2 to the season. More revenue, more double ups (fairer), less injuries, still a long game for those that like long games.

AFL viewpoint would likely be

Shorter games, less revenue per game
More double up games between teams that aren’t worthy enough to get double ups now, less revenue vs cost benefit
Less endurance and more high intensity sprinting, more injuries
Longer seasons, pay more to lock away venues earlier / later in the year, less profit

 

[L_W_P]

But is it more footy? It is still 20 mins of playing time.

Exactly.

So the games aren't longer. They are still just 20 mins per quarter.

I think it's a huge thing that so many media people skip over. All the long quarters are due to additional stoppage time. Ruck nominations, score reviews, stopping the clock on boundary throw ins and ball ups, recalled ball ups, players taking their full time for set shots and kick ins, getting players on the 'correct' angle etc

Players complaining about the length of games. They are getting more rest time out on the field than ever before. A 35 minute quarter means 15 minutes of dead/stoppage time!!

Instead of dropping to 15-17 mins plus stoppage time, look at ways to reduce the stoppages in the game.

 

[BF Tiger]

The AFL want more goals kicked. Then when more goals are kicked this generates further delays in the game... cue outrage about game length.

Personally I have no problem with 15 goals being scored in a game. I'm not sure why high scores are meant to be an indication of a good game. A lot of sports worldwide see a result with low scoring, notably soccer, NFL, rugby and ice hockey. An 8-7 goal scoreline can be just as exciting as a 18-17 scoreline, just with 20 less stoppages.

Where I'd start with cutting time is obviously after goals are scored. Make it 30 seconds and tell advertisers that their commercials can't be longer than 15 seconds so the TV stations can get two ads in. And look at saving time with boundary throw-ins. No waiting for ruckmen to appear from 50m away - just throw it in. Maybe keep the clock running when the ball goes OOB until the last five minutes of each quarter. The insufficient intent rule should see players not heading to the boundary line anyway.

 

[iameviljez]

There is no doubt that a game of footy in the modern T20/Tiktok world is too long.

It's boring.

It's unnecessary for a game of anything to take more than 80-90 minutes.

I get why it used to be relevant to be a 2 hour game, but with the rules and tactics they introduced to reduce fatigue, it's no longer really test of endurance.

Quarters should be 12 minutes long. 15 absolute max. Plus time on.

Completely disagree on all counts. I hated the shorter games in COVID. And besides which, games are absolutely about endurance - players now have to run far, far longer than ever before.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Just get rid of ruck nominations. They're professionals, even bush leaguers would have enough about them to decide on the spot "you're going" to avoid a third man up.
It might even lead to less wrestled ruck contests around the ground, and more clear taps rather than just dropping to congestion and starting again.

Oh, and yes, cut the time between goals back. Sometimes it might be longer because of score reviews but otherwise 30sec is ample.

 

[Billy ray]

you justknowthey will just drop it to 19mins nxt season an not address the reasons

 

[Aura]

There is no doubt that a game of footy in the modern T20/Tiktok world is too long.

It's boring.

It's unnecessary for a game of anything to take more than 80-90 minutes.

I get why it used to be relevant to be a 2 hour game, but with the rules and tactics they introduced to reduce fatigue, it's no longer really test of endurance.

Quarters should be 12 minutes long. 15 absolute max. Plus time on.

The biggest issue with AFL footy is the fixture. And the biggest hurdle with addressing the problems with the fixture is that players aren't physically capable of playing 2 games per week.

If games were far shorter, we'd get more interesting games. More exciting games. But more importantly, we'd get more games. Teams could play twice as many games, which would mean every could play each other twice.

Less running required, meaning more training time to focus on skill and execution. Fat kids that can't sprint 5k in 45 seconds or whatever could still realistically play footy at a decent level.


The main reason 50 Over cricket is dead is that the first ten over were exciting, and the last 10 were exciting. The middle 30 overs where the batting team 'consolidated' the innings was just kind of boring.

AFL footy has so much 'consolidating the innings' time.

People get bored easily these days.

That idea is so bad if you actually took the time to get it over to AFL House it’s almost a guarantee to happen

 

[Bay53]

You could see how it caused issues on Good Friday. The fixture was designed for North v Carlton to finish before 6pm, Fox have a couple of ad breaks and West Coast v Essendon to start at 6:10 (eastern time).

In the end the first match finished and the bounced the ball in Perth.

 

[LordLucifer]

Is it just me or have the games got noticeably longer over the past few years? I went to 5 games over the weekend and I don’t think there was a quarter that was under 30 mins.

I get that we now have a far tighter concussion protocol and the score review system but what else has changed?

I am pretty sure the move from 25 mins quarters to 20 mins, but far more time on came in around 1994 but quarters were much shorter in the 90s despite there being far more goals. You also can’t play for the boundary line any more.

Does anyone have any stats on this?

I reckon the games are too short and should be extended back out to the old 100-mins.

 

[Bay53]

I reckon the games are too short and should be extended back out to the old 100-mins.

Except the old 100 min games went for less time than the current 80 min games.