Fixture Requests 2017

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
1

22 rounds to be played across 23 weekends
• Bye weekend on eve of finals set to continue
• Standard round to stay the same, ending in Sunday twilight game
• Mid-season bye structure set to remain
• Thursday game on March 23 could kick-off round one

Clubs have been told to submit fixture requests for a season that could begin on Thursday March 23 next year.

However the date is yet to be locked in, with the AFL still considering the date of the opening weekend and the number of weekends to be used to complete the 22-round season.

The AFL is also working on the basis that the bye round ahead of the finals will continue in 2017, although that is yet to be confirmed.

The consultation process involves clubs, broadcast partners, players and venues and is expected to lead to a fixture announcement at the end of October.

AFL general manager clubs and operations Travis Auld said the standard round of football would feature matches on Friday night, two on Saturday afternoon, one Saturday twilight, two Saturday night, one early Sunday, one Sunday afternoon and one Sunday twilight.

The AFL also needed to consider player welfare, venue contracts, travel, maximising attendances, fan engagement, blockbuster and themed rounds and consistency of start times, expansion market objectives and rewarding on-field performance when developing its fixture.

The ‘weighted’ rule used in developing the 2014, 2015 and 2016 fixture will continue in 2017, the first season under a new broadcast deal.

The news led to AFLPA player relations manager Brett Murphy expressing concern that the proposed schedule did not consider implementing a second bye for players.

“While we appreciate that the details are not yet finalised, we are concerned that the proposed scheduling framework does not at this point contemplate the return of a second in-season bye,” Murphy said.

“The players overwhelmingly support the return of a second in-season bye, and believe this is a critical player welfare issue given the demands of the modern game.”

Murphy said he remained hopeful that the issue could be resolved in time for the 2017 season.

KEY DATES
Round one (potential date) – Thursday March 23
Easter Thursday April 13-Monday April 17
Anzac Day Friday April 21 – Tuesday April 25
Round 23 (potential date) – Friday August 25-Sunday August 27
Week one – Finals – Friday September 8-Sunday September 10
AFL Grand Final – Saturday September 30, 2017

Essendon’s 2016 fixture breakdown

Travel

Round 1 Saturday March 26 v Gold Coast, Metricon Stadium 3:35pm (Foxtel)

Round 3 Friday April 8 v Port Adelaide, Adelaide Oval 7:20pm (Seven)

Round 7 Saturday May 7 v Sydney, ANZ Stadium 4:35pm (Foxtel)

Round 11 Saturday June 4 v Fremantle, Domain Stadium 5:40pm (Seven)

Round 15 Thursday June 30 v West Coast, Domain Stadium 6:10pm (Seven)

Round 19 Sunday July 31 v Adelaide, Adelaide Oval 4:10pm (Foxtel)

Blockbusters

Round 4 Saturday April 16 ‘Country Game’ v Geelong, MCG 1:45pm (Seven)

Round 5 Monday April 25 “Anzac Day’ v Collingwood, MCG 3:20pm (Seven)

Round 10 Saturday May 28 ‘Dreamtime at the G’ v Richmond, MCG 7:25pm (Seven)

Day

Thursday night - One

Friday night - Two

Saturday - Eight (one night)

Sunday - Nine

Monday - One (Anzac Day)

2

Request : We would be happy to play a maximum of 0 Sunday twilight games.

3

Play two split rounds rather than having 3 weeks of 6 games.

4

Request : Can we please travel once to WA, once to SA, once to NSW, once to QLD, so that all those lovely supporters in those states can come out and watch the EFC.

5

Freo in ****ing Melbourne pls

6

Round 1 home game so we can welcome back our banned players

7
Freo in ****ing Melbourne pls

Well that would hardly be fair on Freo

8

Melbourne at etihad please.

9

We’ll get two bottom 6 teams twice. Can one of those teams please be the lions as opposed to 2 teams likely to climb.

Watch them give WC, freo, swans and gc Brisbane twice while we will cop a fully fit GC and freo twice with the away legs in round 1 and 3

10

Probably:

  • Freo in Melbourne
  • Sydney in Melbourne
  • Brisbane at the Gabba
  • A game in Melbourne R1

What we’ll get:

  • Freo Away, probably Round 3
  • Adelaide in Adelaide Round 1
  • Sydney in Sydney, WC away, Brisbane at home all probably mid seasn
  • Ton of Sunday twilight games
11

Start in mid-March before I have to head back overseas to start work in April.

12

Fewer Sunday games.
More Friday and Saturday night games.

13

Surely round 1 needs to be a home game? The AFL aren’t THAT stupi…

hmmmm

14
Round 1 home game so we can welcome back our banned players

Bet the AFL will fkg shaft us with something like this

Round 1
WCE vs ESS
Sunday, March 26, 4.40pm AEST
Domain Stadium

15
22 rounds to be played across 23 weekends • Bye weekend on eve of finals set to continue • Standard round to stay the same, ending in Sunday twilight game • Mid-season bye structure set to remain • Thursday game on March 23 could kick-off round one

The news led to AFLPA player relations manager Brett Murphy expressing concern that the proposed schedule did not consider implementing a second bye for players.

“While we appreciate that the details are not yet finalised, we are concerned that the proposed scheduling framework does not at this point contemplate the return of a second in-season bye,” Murphy said.

“The players overwhelmingly support the return of a second in-season bye, and believe this is a critical player welfare issue given the demands of the modern game.”

Murphy said he remained hopeful that the issue could be resolved in time for the 2017 season.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2016-07-19/consultation-on-fixture-begins

While we appreciate your concern for another bye during the season, fans believe that it is critical that players honour contracts to their full extent, not hold clubs to ransom at the end of year with demands to be traded to 1 club only and show an improvement in skills before making demands of pay being attached to broadcasting rights (and a bigger increase without showing an increase in skills) before making more proposals. We all know that you will be rested if your playing finals in the last round anyway. Neck up.

16

■■■■ Etihad off.
I know that’s more a club issue, but still

17

Some Friday night games.

18
Surely round 1 needs to be a home game? The AFL aren't THAT stupi.......

hmmmm

For those wondering, our last three round 1 home games span 17 years (2000, 2006, 2011).

19

No Friday night games, they suck. Saturday night or 1:10 Sunday.

And ■■■■ off the 3:20 Sunday game as well

20

having to travel interstate less than Hawthorn would be a great start. This year was a joke