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

[Howard Littlejohn]

Once there are 20 teams, go to 19 games. Play each other once. 190 games isn't a big reduction from the 198 of 22 games.
22 teams, 21 rounds (or two divisions with prom/rel, 12 teams at 22 games and 10 teams at 18 games).

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

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

The NFL has a pretty long off season. Maybe a week or two longer.

 

[Underarm]

Once there are 20 teams, go to 19 games. Play each other once. 190 games isn't a big reduction from the 198 of 22 games.
22 teams, 21 rounds (or two divisions with prom/rel, 12 teams at 22 games and 10 teams at 18 games).

Congratulations, with the loss or revenue you just killed North Melbourne.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Just a random thought here but how about a 34 game season but players can only participate in 22 of those games at a maximum. Just means coaches need to be a bit more tactical at team selection every week and utilise the depth in the squad. Come finals time everyone is available. The more I think about it the more interesting it is


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Forcing teams to not play their best sides is not something I could get behind. I get the reasoning (assuming venues could be made to fit), playing each other twice makes a fairer system. But you would almost be encouraging teams to strategically throw games against sides not near them on the ladder.

 

[Coolangatta]

Once there are 20 teams, go to 19 games. Play each other once. 190 games isn't a big reduction from the 198 of 22 games.
22 teams, 21 rounds (or two divisions with prom/rel, 12 teams at 22 games and 10 teams at 18 games).

This is never going to happen. Broadcasters pay more for more games, not less. Clubs, players, broadcasters, and the AFL lose money from a reduction in games, and members miss out on more games to attend.

The only way every team will play each other once is if we ever get to 24 teams, which I could see happening in 50 years time, given a rate of expansion every 15-20 years.

 

[pz5151]

34 game season and no cricket is my solution

 

[Joao]

34 game season and no cricket is my solution

34 games makes sense. Would need much bigger squads though.

Canning the coloured clothing cricket games works for me.

 

[HairyO]

34 games makes sense. Would need much bigger squads though.

Canning the coloured clothing cricket games works for me.

They could easily get to 28 games. Most teams have 8 to 10 players who dont get a game. The squads are big enough.

 

[Joao]

They could easily get to 28 games. Most teams have 8 to 10 players who dont get a game. The squads are big enough.

I don't see the point in going to 28 unless you're going all the way to 34 and there is no way players can push through an additional 50% games. They'll rotate for sure. Not to mention that if the season goes longer, more players will get long term injuries.

Reckon squads of 50.

It's never happening though.

 

[HairyO]

I don't see the point in going to 28 unless you're going all the way to 34 and there is no way players can push through an additional 50% games. They'll rotate for sure. Not to mention that if the season goes longer, more players will get long term injuries.

Reckon squads of 50.

It's never happening though.

The more times teams play eachother twice the better.

34 wont work. The AFL wont dump the cash sinkholes GCS and GWS either. Another month of football is possible, and ditch the Bye rounds.

 

[Joao]

The more times teams play eachother twice the better.

34 wont work. The AFL wont dump the cash sinkholes GCS and GWS either. Another month of football is possible, and ditch the Bye rounds.

Get up to 2X teams and then just play each other once.

 

[HairyO]

Get up to 2X teams and then just play each other once.

Teams alternate Home and Away each year?

But then Collingwood would have to travel interstate more. They wouldnt let the AFL do that.

 

[kreglze]

Would go to 19 rounds with 20 teams, and then the 8(?) game deficit on the current fixture can be made up by things like a wild card round (as unpopular as it is) or hell even some form of representative football as the players will be playing less games than they are currently playing anyway.

 

[Coolangatta]

34 games a year would also have to account for finals, so that's 38 games. Never gonna happen. Plus Tasmania and the likely 20th team would make it a 38 game season + finals.

If the absolute maximum number of teams was capped at 18 (7 VIC, 2 WA, 2 SA, 2 NSW, 2 QLD, 1 TAS, 1 ACT, 1 NT) then maybe you could have those 38 games of footy with bigger squads and setting a maximum number of games a player can play each year for their own personal health, but otherwise, it'll be 23 H/A games for a long time to come.

P.S. Would help the Tassie team, 17 home games = 11 Hobart, 6 Launceston.
Suns could have 12 Gold Coast games, 3 in Cairns, 1 each in Townsville and Mackay.
NT could have 13 in Darwin, 3 in Alice Springs, 1 in Karratha.
ACT could get 13 Canberra games and 2 each in Albury and Wagga.
Giants 13 in Western Sydney, 2 each in Newcastle and Wollongong.
Lions could play 14 in Brisbane and 3 at Sunshine Coast.
Adelaide play 1 Mt. Gambier game.
Eagles play a game in Joondalup, Dockers one in Bunbury.
Hawks could play a couple in Auckland, Dees a couple in Wellington.
etc

But 1-2 Vic clubs would have to go and 1-2 relocate to NT and ACT for it to work so won't happen.

Or 20 teams (ACT get relocated Vic club), add Tassie and NT, 38 games a year, shortened finals series, straight knockout, go from 8-4-2. But it's still not logistically possible to schedule 41 games a year.

 

[Freomaniac]

They could easily get to 28 games. Most teams have 8 to 10 players who dont get a game. The squads are big enough.

What was the rumour going around for each team's to play 26 games each season?

I remember this was brought up for Foxtel and channel 7 to make up for the tv revenue that they lost in 2020 with that 17 round season due to the corona vurus?

Again.... I don't mind we have a similar season line the NRL and have each side play 24 games each over 26 weeks.

Or once we head to 20 sides. Have 24 games played over 25 weeks.

Like a spilt Round like the 16 team era. Half the teams play one week, The other half plays the next week

 

[Truetiger]

More footy is always necessary

I would have it 7 days a week, 365 days a year if I had it my way lol.

 

[Joao]

Teams alternate Home and Away each year?

But then Collingwood would have to travel interstate more. They wouldnt let the AFL do that.

You'd have to do the evening up over a longer period I think but yes.

Agree with the second part.

 

[Blue1980]

One of the more interesting aspects has been not too long ago, players were asking for less games and a shorter season. Wear and tear and all that. Throw in a bigger pile of money, demand an extra game and a longer season, and mysteriously enough there's been total silence. Amazing.

The AFLPA always want shorter games, less games and more time off.

If they had their way we’d be playing 10 games a year with 12 minute quarters, with no time on.

 

[Blue1980]

They should either reduce it to 17-18 games a season so each team play each other only once (plus an extra derby game), or increase it to a 34 round season so each team plays each other twice.

It's not like the 22 round season is sacred. We used to have an 18 round season until 1968 and only introduced 22 rounds in 1970. So most of VFL/AFL history wasn't even 22 rounds.

I can hear the purists whingeing now: "Oh but all the hundred goal seasons will mean nothing. It'll screw up the data. Blah blah blah."
Bob Pratt kicked 150 goals in 1933 when there were only 18 rounds. Yet people still say Peter Hudson equalled his record in 1971 even though it was a 22 round season. There wasn't an uproar then and there wouldn't be an uproar now.

If you insist on keeping the data meaningful, then just decrease games to 18 a season like it was prior to 1970. Otherwise let's have a fair competition and have a 34 round season. Right now the 23 round season is a joke.

Well we could play 18 games a side when tassie come in.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

17 game season

 

[Demonic Ascent]

It's been 22 games for 52 years

20 games in 1993

 

[Freomaniac]

The AFLPA always want shorter games, less games and more time off.

If they had their way we’d be playing 10 games a year with 12 minute quarters, with no time on.

The AFLPA also want to maintain the 95 percent salary floor. It should be 90 percent to give clubs more wriggle room or make it 92.5 percent like 2010-11.

 

[Freomaniac]

20 games in 1993

And 17 games in 2020

 

[Demonic Ascent]

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.

This isn't basketball, baseball or soccer, asking players to play 34 games of Aussie Rules each year with 4 or 5 day breaks is madness.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

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

The NFL.