Autopsy Why is there a 23 game season this year and is it necessary?

[Wallaby]

Can't complain about more footy. I reckon a 34 round season where every team played every team twice, but the game were a bit shorter, would actually be ideal.

Definitely my preference. Not sure about the shorter games, but 34 games would be ideal. Would mean standard 5-day breaks through the season (sometimes 4-day, sometimes 6-day). If you have 34 games with 5-day breaks, that's 170 days. Add in 2 byes - that's 180 days. So the regular season goes 6 months, the finals one month. Every ground has lights these days, so we start the season beginning March, play completely under lights until April and then through to end August, when finals start.

Ok, some games on a Tuesday/Wednesday night may be a little thinly attended - doesn't matter financially, the money is in the TV ratings.

Thery're professional players, the club lists are 40+. Players will be managed and rested throughout the season, as they are now. Maybe one less training session per week.

 

[apollo_creed]

I wouldn't say relatively fluid when it's been 22 games for 52 years.
I think we all know it was changed to get more revenue for Fox and 7.

So if you have the answer why are you asking the question…

 

[PerthBoy86]

Definitely my preference. Not sure about the shorter games, but 34 games would be ideal. Would mean standard 5-day breaks through the season (sometimes 4-day, sometimes 6-day). If you have 34 games with 5-day breaks, that's 170 days. Add in 2 byes - that's 180 days. So the regular season goes 6 months, the finals one month. Every ground has lights these days, so we start the season beginning March, play completely under lights until April and then through to end August, when finals start.

Ok, some games on a Tuesday/Wednesday night may be a little thinly attended - doesn't matter financially, the money is in the TV ratings.

Thery're professional players, the club lists are 40+. Players will be managed and rested throughout the season, as they are now. Maybe one less training session per week.

Yeah I thought about having shorter breaks. I think most people do like games spread over more days than just 2 (Friday night is basically the weekend). The only thing would be even less interest in the games late in the season which count for nothing in terms of finals position. But at least the fixturing could be completely fair. If there are say 20 teams in 5 to 10 years, maybe we could even look at a top 10 finals system?

 

[HarryBeef]

Still seems an unnecessary break with tradition for me.
You could make the top 8 teams from the previous year play one less home game, rotate the home/away game every year or just designate the gather round games as home game to one team imo.

Tradition?

 

[HarryBeef]

Is there another professional sport in the world that has a bigger off season than the AFL?

 

[Mofra]

It has always been a 22 game season before this year.

22 + provisions for bye rounds
No byes and it's a 22 round season

 

[Walshawk]

Reckon it will go to 24 games if Tassie come in. You can’t have an odd number of games with 19 teams. So if they want to keep gather round it will go to 24 unless enough clubs are willing to give up a home game for gather round.

Each club has 11 home games, 11 away games and two neutral games. There are nine GR games, and ten other neutral games. Two of those are reverse fixtures of GR host (so if you played Crows in GR, you host them in a ‘neutral’ game) and the other eight should be played around the nation in places like Darwin, Cairns. Newcastle, Albury, Canberra, etc. Clubs like GWS, Hawks, to stop selling home games.

 

[Freomaniac]

I would love each side to play 24 games.

I have no issues with that.

Would be shocked to see any side to go 0-24 in a season

 

[Freomaniac]

It has always been a 22 game season before this year.

Add another option to the poll.

24 games each

 

[Wallaby]

Is there another professional sport in the world that has a bigger off season than the AFL?

NFL has a seven-month off season.

 

[HairyO]

Lets go up to 25 games. Even more teams who can play eachother twice.

 

[kreuze_missile]

17 games + extended finals thank you.

Home and away goes way too long.

 

[Freomaniac]

NFL has a seven-month off season.

Crazy that.

There is 32 teams and the Regular season teams play only 17 games each. Surpised its not 22 or even 24 games.

NBAs Off season used to be 4-5 months. Now its down to 3. Still have 82 regular season games spread over 5-6 months.

Years gone by the season started at early november until March. Play offs were in April and Finals were in May.

Now the regular season starts in mid october and continues until April, Play offs are in may and NBA Finals are in early June.

 

[Brezsa]

The reason it’s 23 matches & not 22 with gather round is simple. Makes sure everyone still gets 11 home games. Instead of some getting 10 & others 11.

Imagine the calls for “Vic bias” if WCE or Freo had 10 home games instead of 11

Imagine the cry’s about Collingwood, if they got 11 home games & St Kilda or North got 10.

For as long as their is gather round, 22 game seasons are over

 

[hawkman]

I would love each side to play 24 games.

I have no issues with that.

Would be shocked to see any side to go 0-24 in a season

If North and WC haven't been able to do it in the last couple of years, no side will be able to do it

 

[Coolangatta]

Add Top End Round to make it 24 games a year so clubs no longer have to sell games up north. A round of footy with 2 games each being played in Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, and Alice Springs. 1 in Alice if it stays at 19 teams, but if it goes to 20 teams and we get (hopefully Canberra instead of WA3) they could play two games each at these northern destinations in one round of footy.

Pretty much all the Vic clubs could play their home games in Victoria, the north of Australia would be serviced, the Giants can * off out of Canberra and look at Newcastle if it wants another market, and the Suns can * off out of Darwin and look at the Sunshine Coast if it needs another market.

 

[Freomaniac]

Add Top End Round to make it 24 games a year so clubs no longer have to sell games up north. A round of footy with 2 games each being played in Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, and Alice Springs. 1 in Alice if it stays at 19 teams, but if it goes to 20 teams and we get (hopefully Canberra instead of WA3) they could play two games each at these northern destinations in one round of footy.

Pretty much all the Vic clubs could play their home games in Victoria, the north of Australia would be serviced, the Giants can * off out of Canberra and look at Newcastle if it wants another market, and the Suns can * off out of Darwin and look at the Sunshine Coast if it needs another market.

If you really want to go down a crazier but similar path...

have teams play 24 games each next season. SA has gather round early in the season.

Then another gather round in tassie by around round 11 or 12.

 

[caveman72]

I'm happy to give up the Marvel game for gather round.

Tiggers v suns at Marvel for the next 5 years lock it in Eddie

 

[Bunk Moreland]

NFL has a seven-month off season.

But the games go for 14 hours each, which kinda makes up for it.

 

[STRONGandBALD]

I personally think it’s for extra money to make up for the loss of income from COVID and subsidising AFLW. It’s just masked as gather round so it’s not so obvious. But the concept is still nice.

 

[Hoops]

It's been 22 games for 52 years

1993 was 20 rounds and it most probably cost Geelong a finals berth. Unfortunately Steve Hocking wasn't pulling the strings that year.

 

[Hoops]

* unless you're Carlton and Western Bulldogs because * em I guess.

And Geelong

 

[citizen-erased]

Brad scott had an interesting idea

Everyone plays each other once (i think home fixture should then be flipped every year).
Then have a rivalry round (which I think works for gather round)

18 rounds +1 gather rd;
Port v crows, dockers v eagles, swans v giants, lions v suns, blues v dons, tigers v pies, hawks v cats, dees v dogs, saints v roos.

Tassie stuffs this up though.
Lose a month of footy, but you get a fair draw.

 

[JohnZ]

Definitely my preference. Not sure about the shorter games, but 34 games would be ideal. Would mean standard 5-day breaks through the season (sometimes 4-day, sometimes 6-day). If you have 34 games with 5-day breaks, that's 170 days. Add in 2 byes - that's 180 days. So the regular season goes 6 months, the finals one month. Every ground has lights these days, so we start the season beginning March, play completely under lights until April and then through to end August, when finals start.

Ok, some games on a Tuesday/Wednesday night may be a little thinly attended - doesn't matter financially, the money is in the TV ratings.

Thery're professional players, the club lists are 40+. Players will be managed and rested throughout the season, as they are now. Maybe one less training session per week.

Not sold on shorter breaks. Think the trade off for getting 34 games is personal byes for players and shorter game duration (so that you can start a game every 2.5 hours without overlap). That and allowing more 5 day breaks for teams. AFL isn't NBA nor MLB, so I can't see shorter than a week (give or take) working. There's a reason EPL, NFL etc play one game a week (speaking of EPL, a midweek night series FA cup style would be a good alternative).

If you played 34 games, I'd make players take at least 4 weeks off with 2-3 of those weeks needing to be consecutive. I'd also reduce the finals to a top 4 comp. Make winning the H+A comp a bigger thing, but keep the premiership cup as the end point. Would mean the season runs from Feb to October. No need for pre-season games.

Play Thursday Night (7.30), Friday Night (7.30 or sometimes 7/9.30), Saturday (always 2.30/5/7.30 and 12pm when no friday double header) and Sunday (always 2.30/5 and either 12pm or 7.30). Outside of Friday double headers, the game times are always the same. Reduce the complexity. Maximise the timezones we have by playing Perth games at good times locally and whenever there's a PH somewhere in the country, make sure we at least play the night before (ie WA Day).

 

[Inspecta Gadget]

You'll have wished this season was 50 rounds long when Dusty retires at the end of it