Richmond and Carlton have renewed their gate-share agreement for a further 10 years

THEY are expected to break the AFL’s Round 1 attendance record in a matter of weeks and now Richmond and Carlton have extended their gate-share agreement for another decade.

Shaun Grigg and Marc Murphy will go head to head in Round 1. Picture: Michael Klein

TWO of the AFL’s traditional powerhouses, Richmond and Carlton, have renewed their gate-share agreement for a further 10 years.

The two clubs have opened the AFL season 10 times since 2007 and have averaged a huge crowd of 75,000 in that time.

They will once again open the season in 2018, with the crowd expected to break the AFL’s Round 1 attendance record.

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The previous best mark was set in 2009 when 87,043 attended the traditional fixture.

This year will double as an even bigger night for the Tigers, who will unfurl their premiership flag in front of a packed house at the MCG.

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale said the gate-share agreement was an investment in the future.

“Both Richmond and Carlton have invested heavily in building this game into a major event, and this announcement further underlines that joint commitment and investment for the future,” Gale said.

Richmond and Carlton will once again open the AFL season. Picture: Michael Klein

“Both clubs love playing in the marquee match, and we know our members and fans love it too.

“This traditional season-opener has been an enormous success, and we’re looking forward to working closely with Carlton to continue to grow it further.”

In the event that the clubs only play each other once in an AFL season, as is the case in 2018, the clubs have agreed on a fixed fee return for the away team.

Tigers and Blues reinstate gate-sharing agreement. Blues will get a fixed fee this year given only one game. Tigers could make up to $1 million from this game this year as a sell-out, so big decision

— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) March 2, 2018

“It’s a great privilege for Carlton and Richmond to be given the opportunity to open the AFL season each year and we are excited to formalise our shared commitment to growing what is one of the AFL’s greatest rivalries,” Carlton CEO Cain Liddle said.

“Our members and supporters will be thrilled that Carlton will now benefit financially, irrespective of whether Round 1 is a home or away game and we look forward to working with Richmond to break the all-time attendance record for this game in 2018.”

Richmond has already broken its all-time membership record, with the club passing the previous best mark of 72,699 in mid-February.