Fixture 2025 Fixture

[Andre]

Just shorten the season and take away the double up games. Solves so many problems.

Less is more.

Get rid of 3 Vic sides (so 16 with Tassie) and go to 30 games. Season could start a couple of weeks earlier, than do like in COVID, where you have a block of 'carnival' games, of averaging more than one a week.

Something like 7 games normal rounds, 8 in 5 weeks, bye, 4 games normal, 6 in 4 weeks, bye, 5 normal games, no pre-finals bye. Season takes 7+5+1+4+4+1+5 = 27 weeks. Which with 23 rounds now, with bye and pre-finals bye in only 2 weeks longer.

There's two byes during the season for players, and with 16 sides, you could let lists be bigger and make it players can only play a maximum of 28 H&A games, which effectively means 4 byes per player, to prevent burn-out.

Gives the double-ups so everyone gets everyone home and away. No more the final ladder positions inevitably decided by who was lucky enough to get West Coast and North (or whoever is the current years shit sides) twice.

 

[El_Scorcho]

The way to make that happen is to shorten the games and play midweek football ala what we saw in the 2020 season. But AFL is a very conservative and unimaginative sport so that will never happen.

Yep. 12 minute quarters, full double round robin. That'd be my solution as well.

We're stuck in this 22ish game system which was designed around a 12 team comp. It's not fit for purpose with 18 or 19 teams. If you were starting the structure again from the ground up you'd go for some NFL style conferences to get some sort of fair system to the double ups, or alternatively shorter games and more of them.

 

[Capital Power]

Perfect result would be.

Rnd 1: Hawks away
Rnd 2: Crows home
Rnd 3: Coll away
Rnd 4: Bris home
Rnd 5: Syd away.

Donuts gone by round 5 as we go 0-5

Didn't we go 0-5 a couple of seasons ago? He's still here...

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Have a 20 round H&A season. Everyone plays everyone once plus one extra derby/showdown. Next season just reverse the fixture. If they want more games, bring the stupid final knockouts (or whatever 9-10 is called). It's too fair, would never happen.

20 rounds in a 18 team comp means you play 3 teams twice.

20 rounds in a 19 team comp means you play 2 teams twice.

 

[El Zorro]

20 rounds in a 18 team comp means you play 3 teams twice.

20 rounds in a 19 team comp means you play 2 teams twice.

Idk why I was thinking we were going to 20 teams with Tassie. Anyway, 19 round season then, when Tasmania enters.

 

[TeeKray]

Didn't we go 0-5 a couple of seasons ago? He's still here...

Did you know we haven't made the finals after starting the season 0-1 since 2005?

 

[Marmozet]

Did you know we haven't made the finals after starting the season 0-1 since 2005?

We’ve also never made finals three years in a row under Hinkley.

 

[Grave Danger]

Thursday nights are going to "dominate the fixture", reportedly - how many do we you think Ports will get?

 

[Power Plus]

Thursday night football set to dominate 2025 AFL fixture​

By Sam Edmund

Thursday night football is set to dominate the new AFL fixture.

The increasingly popular time slot is poised to feature in record numbers in 2025, coinciding with the first year of the league’s historic broadcast rights deal.

While the exact number is yet to be locked in, industry sources said the AFL was planning on as many as 21 weeks of Thursday night football next season after years of cautious increases. Thursday night football was played in the first 14 weeks of the 2024 season before surprisingly being put on ice until the first week of finals.

In 2023 it featured 12 times across two home-and-away blocks and a final, while 2022 had nine regular season Thursday night games and one final.

But 2025 could see it played most weeks of a 24-round campaign.

Thursday night football has proven to be a raging success in recent seasons, both in attendance and TV ratings numbers.
Both AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon and head of football Laura Kane have spoken in favour of the concept.

The Thursday night footy explosion coincides with the first year of the league’s $4.5 billion broadcast rights deal – the biggest sports rights deal in Australian history – which runs until 2031.

Separately, it’s understood Channel 7 is pushing for several Sunday night games at the start of the season. The network will broadcast games on Thursday nights, Friday nights and Sundays next year, but would like a collection of Sunday night games in the first third of the season.

 

[68vette]

I have no problems with Thursday or Sunday night game if there is a public holiday the next day.

Makes it hard if you have kids to unless it's during school holidays.

 

[Chewy316]

I have no problems with Thursday or Sunday night game if there is a public holiday the next day.

Makes it hard if you have kids to unless it's during school holidays.

Call me ignorant (and I probably am), but why is there always this near taboo discussion about it being difficult for kids to attend games if they're on a school night?

I'm going to preface this by saying I can't ever recall a game I missed as a kid be it watching on tv or attending in person because it was a school night. And I've got two young kids myself and they'll be coming with me to games on school nights once they're a little bit older (the oldest is nearly 3 so right now night games aren't even a consideration).

Sure, if they go to games on a school night they're going to be tired the next day. It's one day of school they might not be fully attentive in, who cares? I just don't understand the big deal about it.

 

[FishingRick04]

Call me ignorant (and I probably am), but why is there always this near taboo discussion about it being difficult for kids to attend games if they're on a school night?

I'm going to preface this by saying I can't ever recall a game I missed as a kid be it watching on tv or attending in person because it was a school night. And I've got two young kids myself and they'll be coming with me to games on school nights once they're a little bit older (the oldest is nearly 3 so right now night games aren't even a consideration).

Sure, if they go to games on a school night they're going to be tired the next day. It's one day of school they might not be fully attentive in, who cares? I just don't understand the big deal about it.

I prefer my kid well rested than intolerable the next day

 

[bringbackbucky]

Call me ignorant (and I probably am), but why is there always this near taboo discussion about it being difficult for kids to attend games if they're on a school night?

I'm going to preface this by saying I can't ever recall a game I missed as a kid be it watching on tv or attending in person because it was a school night. And I've got two young kids myself and they'll be coming with me to games on school nights once they're a little bit older (the oldest is nearly 3 so right now night games aren't even a consideration).

Sure, if they go to games on a school night they're going to be tired the next day. It's one day of school they might not be fully attentive in, who cares? I just don't understand the big deal about it.

Maybe check back in on that post and reassess your position in a few years after you've taken your kids to a Thursday night game, then school on Friday, then football training Friday night, then school football Saturday morning, then a bday party Saturday afternoon, then Club football on Sunday morning...

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Did you know we haven't made the finals after starting the season 0-1 since 2005?

Decided to look this up, given we have won a lot of Rd 1 games under Hinkley. In fact have won 10 out of 12, then 7 times have made finals, 3 times haven't. Two times we haven't won Rd 1 under Hinkley, we haven't made finals.

0-1 miss finals
2006 went 0-1
2008 went 0-4
2011 went 0-3
=================
2015 went 0-2
2022 went 0-5
2008 and 2022 starts after being smashed in last final we played - in 2007 GF 119pts, 2021 PF 71pts

We effectively got smashed by Sydney in the PF a few weeks ago. They went from 10-1 early in 3rd quarter to 14-11 and were in cruise control after 5 minutes of the last quarter, playing bruise free footy, as much as they possibly could. The score board said a 6 goal loss, but it was more like a 12 goal loss.

1-0 make finals
2007 went 2-0
=================
2013 went 5-0
2014 went 2-0, then lost, then went 8-0
2017 went 2-0
2020 went 4-0
2021 went 2-0
2023 went 1-0, then lost 2 in a row, Tredders untenable call, then went 13-0
2024 went 2-0

1-0 miss finals
2009 went 1-0
2010 went 2-0
2012 went 1-0
=================
2016 went 1-0
2018 went 3-0
2019 went 2-0

 

[simba_]

Thursday nights are going to "dominate the fixture", reportedly - how many do we you think Ports will get?

2

 

[RossFC]

I hope Port don't get any home Thursday night games. Reckon we get better crowds on Friday/Sat games.

 

[Chewy316]

I hope Port don't get any home Thursday night games. Reckon we get better crowds on Friday/Sat games.

They'll give Port at least one home Thursday night game during Winter - feels inevitable.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Post Covid ie 2021-24 our home Thursday night minor round games have been:

R13​

H​

Carlton

3.2 4.8 7.9 10.11​

71​

3.2 5.5 8.10 16.11​

107​

L​

-36​

82-0-49​

Adelaide Oval​

40532​

Thu 30-May-2024 7:00 PM​

R14​

H​

Geelong

2.6 5.8 12.9 16.14​

110​

6.2 7.3 10.4 11.6​

72​

W​

38​

74-0-43​

Adelaide Oval​

36316​

Thu 15-Jun-2023 7:10 PM​

R4​

H​

Melbourne

0.3 0.5 1.8 4.12​

36​

1.3 6.6 9.7 10.8​

68​

L​

-32​

60-0-40​

Adelaide Oval​

23058​

Thu 07-Apr-2022 7:10 PM​

R17​

H​

Melbourne

2.2 5.3 7.5 8.7​

55​

3.2 8.4 10.9 12.14​

86​

L​

-31​

57-0-36​

Adelaide Oval​

30908​

Thu 08-Jul-2021 7:10 PM​

R13​

H​

Geelong

5.1 8.2 10.4 14.7​

91​

4.3 8.5 11.8 17.10​

112​

L​

-21​

56-0-35​

Adelaide Oval​

28718​

Thu 10-Jun-2021 7:10 PM​

We will get one Thursday night game mid season based on the above history.

Might get one in Gather Round. The crows so far have got the 2 Thursday night games in the Gather Rounds, so depending on who plays when and where, the week before ie in Rd 4, will determine if we kick off Gather Round or the crows do.

 

[El Zorro]

Thursday nights are going to "dominate the fixture", reportedly - how many do we you think Ports will get?

None, please.

 

[El Zorro]

Call me ignorant (and I probably am), but why is there always this near taboo discussion about it being difficult for kids to attend games if they're on a school night?

I'm going to preface this by saying I can't ever recall a game I missed as a kid be it watching on tv or attending in person because it was a school night. And I've got two young kids myself and they'll be coming with me to games on school nights once they're a little bit older (the oldest is nearly 3 so right now night games aren't even a consideration).

Sure, if they go to games on a school night they're going to be tired the next day. It's one day of school they might not be fully attentive in, who cares? I just don't understand the big deal about it.

How many Thursday night games were there when you were in school?

 

[Andy_B]

They'll give Port at least one home Thursday night game during Winter - feels inevitable.

Plus either us or the crows will get thursday night for gather round, the other will get the Friday night.

AFL will keep up both away from the double headers like last year

 

[chiwigi]

Thursday nights are going to "dominate the fixture", reportedly - how many do we you think Ports will get?

****ing none I hope.

 

[El Zorro]

I prefer my kid well rested than intolerable the next day

I prefer myself well rested rather than intolerable at work the next day!

 

[Chewy316]

How many Thursday night games were there when you were in school?

A few, but they were few and far between. Think there were more weeknight basketball (36ers) games than footy when I was growing up - can't recall actively missing any unless I was ill.

But there were plenty of occasions when I was "out" on a school night at various events and what not. My point was more that I grew up in an environment where being out on a school night was perfectly acceptable and normal on the odd occasion. Not something I would advocate for every week, but neither is Thursday night footy.

I mean you get some parents who have conniptions just at the thought of their kids staying up a few hours later on a saturday with the potential of moving the grand final to be a twilight affair. It's just something I can't comprehend.

Maybe check back in on that post and reassess your position in a few years after you've taken your kids to a Thursday night game, then school on Friday, then football training Friday night, then school football Saturday morning, then a bday party Saturday afternoon, then Club football on Sunday morning...

Well I did all of those activities as a kid myself and it certainly didn't stop me from going out on a Thursday night a few times a year if the occasion presented itself.

I'm not advocating the idea of being out on a school night every week, but on the odd occasion I've just never understood why a few times a year is an issue.

 

[Andre]

Thursday nights are going to "dominate the fixture", reportedly - how many do we you think Ports will get?

Yet another reason to ditch Vic sides to get 16 sides and 8 games a round. For regular rounds:

2 x Friday night (one FTA, one Pay tv)
2 x Saturday afternoon
2 x Saturday night
1 x Sunday afternoon

With the last game of the round floating between Thursday night, Monday night or a second Sunday afternoon game. Thursday night games to be run during school holidays and before public holidays, similar Monday nights on Monday public holidays. With if it isn't those situations, then a second Sunday afternoon game. No more Sunday twilight 'timeslot of shit' games.