By Peter Ryan and Jon Pierik
It’s the seven minutes of dead time you’ll never get back.
In a world of shrinking attention spans, when sport is entertainment, the average game of football has blown out by about seven minutes per match over the past decade, and 10 minutes per match over the past 20 years, according to numbers provided by Champion Data.
New AFL football performance boss Greg Swann has identified game length as an area to address immediately.Credit: Wayne Taylor
It’s why the AFL’s incoming football supremo Greg Swann is determined to shave seven minutes off matches, bringing them back to 120 minutes, or 2016 levels.
Average game times in 2025 have increased to a record 127 minutes and 21 seconds, with average game length rocketing up an extra two minutes, 10 seconds per game from 2024.
The enormous increase in dead time has seen game length gradually trend upwards from 120 minutes, 46 seconds in 2016.
The first quarter of Sunday’s game between Geelong and St Kilda stretched beyond 35 minutes with the clock stopped for goals, stoppages, boundary throw-ins, kick-ins, a recalled bounce, out of bounds on the full, a score review, a 50-metre penalty, a downfield free kick and a blood rule.
Swann has identified several moments within games, particularly at stoppages, where time can be saved without changing quarters from the structure of 20 minutes plus time on or making radical changes to the rules.
Part of the increase can be explained by an increase in the number of ball-ups and throw-ins during that period but the number of rules halting play have also increased with score reviews and 6-6-6 warnings among the changes.
Swann said that before he took the job the length of games and the umpires bouncing the ball were the two issues other people raised the most.
“It’s just around the set-ups and waiting for ruckmen to get to contests and even the boundary throw-ins or if you are waiting for them to get there and there is a chance to actually speed that up a bit,” Swann said.
“There is good vision and video of ruckman taking 20 seconds to come from one end of the ground to the other and everyone stands there and waits,” Swann said.
“That’s something that hopefully we can have a look at and maybe address even before the [end of the] season.”
Stoppages around the ground and boundary throw-ins add to the length of games. Credit: Getty Images
The AFL had to revise the starting time of Sunday games this season pushing them forward five minutes to 3.15pm as they were creeping into the 6pm news.
The first quarter of Sunday’s Cats-Saints game went for four seconds beyond the 35-minute mark and had most scenarios requiring the clock to be stopped other than a 6-6-6 infringement.
There were eight goals kicked, 15 stoppages around the ground, nine boundary throw-ins, two kick-ins, two kicks out-on-the-full, plus a recalled bounce, a score review, a 50-metre penalty, a downfield free kick, two kick-ins, a blood rule and a field umpire conferring with a boundary umpire over a decision.
Each boundary throw-in takes roughly 25 seconds of time on, bounces around the ground take about eight seconds and the time that elapses between goals and the ball being bounced is around 55 seconds. The score review and the subsequent kick in took 44 seconds.
Attendees at the game were there for two hours, 27 minutes and 16 seconds from the first bounce to the final siren including quarter and half-time breaks.
Swann estimated a return to about two hours per match, or four 30 minute quarters, plus quarter and half-time breaks was the ideal game length.
The AFL’s desire to reduce game length is consistent in world sport aware that engagement time is at a premium.
Dillon and Swann addressed a range of issues, including:
What Tasmania’s election means for the Devils
Dillon said despite official confirmation of the result of the Tasmanian election over the weekend yet to come, with the Liberal Party likely to form a minority government, there had been an overwhelming endorsement of the new team and controversial Macquarie Point Stadium.
While the Liberals will likely need to rely on crossbenchers to form government, Dillon said it was time to begin work on the stadium, a condition of entry for the AFL’s 19th team – in 2028.
AFL chief Andrew Dillon launched the Tasmania Devils in March 2024.Credit: Getty
“Pleasingly over 70 per cent of the votes that were cast in Tasmania over the weekend went to a candidate that was pro-stadium. We are looking forward to a 2028 start date for the Tasmania Devils. It’s really clear we will have a stadium at Mac Point with a roof and 23,000 capacity,” Dillon said.
Ditch the centre bounce?
Swann revealed there was strong support from clubs to discard the traditional centre bounce. He was due to meet with league umpires late on Monday. Bouncing the ball can be difficult for umpires with back issues.
“We will do some work on it. In the next little bit, I will get around to all clubs and get their views,” he said.
“I have had some clubs already ring and give me their views. I would say the majority are in favour of throwing the ball up. Obviously, that’s not going to happen until next year, but we will have a look at that as well.”
Asked if there was the possibility of having a ceremonial bounce to start games, Swann replied: “At the grand final last year, the first bounce went sideways, and they had to recall it. You would want to do the ceremonial bounce if it goes straight.”
Keep fans in the loop
Swann said he wanted the football operations department, including match review officer decisions, to have greater transparency.
“Maybe explaining some of the decisions we make, maybe we can be a bit more forthcoming with that. We are not going to explain everything away because otherwise you would be here all day,” he said.
“But, if there are some things that are a bit contentious, I think people deserve to understand why we have gone a certain way.”
Pre-finals bye
Swann said the pre-finals bye was also up for discussion.
“That’s another one for next year, really. You would have a look at it,” he said.
Added Dillon: “We are talking season structure for next year. How you set that up. When you have your byes, how many of them you have.”
Father-sons, NGAs and the draft
“On the academies, having lived through those, they are crucial up there [the northern states] for the development of the game,” Swann said of the northern academies.
Will Ashcroft is a father-son who won a Norm Smith medal and premiership in his second season. Credit: Getty Images
“The new DVI [draft value index] index is going to make a big difference to what you pay for those people now. We need to let that run for a year or two. It will make a big difference to how many blokes you can and can’t get.”
Priority pick for the West Coast Eagles
The Eagles have won a combined 11 games in their past four seasons, but Dillon all but ruled out the 2018 premiers being granted a priority draft selection should they apply. Rather, he pointed to the work Swann had done when in charge of rebuilding the Lions, while also acknowledging how Adelaide were set to play finals this year for the first time since 2017.
“The blueprint is there in the work Swanny and the work he did in Brisbane … and if you look at Adelaide at the weekend, they haven’t been in the finals since 2017, but through a lot of hard work, some really good decisions, great trading, great drafting, they are poised now for a top four pick,” Dillon said.
“They have got where they have got without a priority pick, and I think you can do it.”
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