By Sam McClure
The AFL is seriously considering introducing a secondary tournament that would run during the premiership season, award millions of dollars in prizemoney and could even offer the winning team a spot in the finals.
The idea, first suggested 18 months ago, was raised again by AFL heavyweights including chief executive Andrew Dillon when the club CEOs gathered on the Gold Coast last week and would potentially be introduced once Tasmania joins the competition as a 19th team in 2028.
AFL boss Andrew Dillon discussed with club CEOs the idea for a mid-season competition.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
It would reduce the number of rounds played in the premiership season. Under the proposal, teams would only play each other once in the premiership season, plus an additional rivalry round and Gather Round. The in-season tournament would then make up the difference to the current format, ensuring the terms of the AFL’s broadcast deal are met.
Four club bosses spoken to by this masthead, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the conversations, confirmed the idea was raised by the AFL last week and said they supported it in theory.
The AFL confirmed the idea to this masthead, but stressed that the concept was only exploratory at this stage and was no guarantee to happen.
“We had a really productive couple of days with all 19 club CEOs and the AFL executive on how we as an industry prepare for the next five- to 10-year period, including continued discussions on developing a long-term sustainable competition structure, [and] including accounting for the introduction of Tasmania from 2028,” Dillon said.
“A committee of club CEOs and AFL reps have been working through ideas, with a focus on creating more content and marquee moments across a season that are appealing for fans, players and clubs. At this stage they are all just ideas, with further exploratory work and discussions need to continue to be progressed with stakeholders across the industry.”
The refreshed proposal comes as a clear divide between this season’s top and bottom teams has emerged, resulting in a number of one-sided, dead rubber games in the run home to September.
Also factoring in to the AFL’s thinking is the slated entry of a 19th team to the competition in 2028 and the NRL’s popular State of Origin, which is staged throughout June/July every year.
This year’s series will conclude this Wednesday with the series tied at 1-1 and the decider is expected to attract record television numbers across the country.
While the AFL has publicly declared it is considering a rebirth of its own form of State of Origin, it’s likely to be more of an exhibition before the start of the season.
However, an in-season tournament, similar to what the NBA started in 2023, would keep struggling teams and fans engaged in the season for longer. The winning team could be rewarded with as much as $5 million, according to multiple club sources, and even a spot in the finals of the premiership season.
The new competition, which is being worked on by a subcommittee of CEOs and has so far received wide-ranging support from the majority of clubs, could be run two ways.
The subcommittee has discussed the possibility of running the tournament concurrently with the regular home-and-away season, which would mean the games are played once every four to six weeks, similar to the FA Cup in English soccer.
Alternatively, the home-and-away season could be paused for approximately a month in the middle of the year, giving clear space to run the standalone, separate competition.
Another idea also raised in talks among the CEOs has been whether teams could recruit state league or even recently retired players for the tournament. One CEO floated big names such as Richmond great Dustin Martin and Swans and Hawks star Lance Franklin.
An in-season tournament for the AFL could also provide the game with another form of revenue, both in sponsorship and potentially a new broadcast deal.
In 2023, the NBA staged the inaugural NBA Cup, an idea the league had been considering for decades as concern grew over dwindling TV ratings compared to its major rival, the NFL. By February 2024, global airline giant Emirates signed on as the naming rights sponsor for the tournament – which Reuters reported would bring in about $US500 million in advertising revenue.
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