The AFL has been accused of ignoring a plea from followers to desert the floating fixture in 2024 amid claims it’s a legacy thought from the Covid-impacted seasons and one thing supporters are overwhelmingly in opposition to.
Following stories the league will launch the schedule for subsequent season on November 16, the AFL Fans Association has referred to as for it to be a whole fixture to convey to an finish the continued “inconvenience” for supporters of leaving as many because the final eight rounds with unconfirmed occasions, dates and places for matches.
Declaring their very own polling discovered simply 13 per cent of supporters had been in favour of the floating fixture and that 90 per cent wished “fixture certainty”, the AFLFA tried to take their trigger to AFL however acquired “no response”.
AFLFA president Ron Issko mentioned the continuation of the floating fixture may even impression membership memberships.
“We have to bear in mind that changes in cost of living have shifted significantly in the past 12 months. Fans want to know if there is value in buying a membership by identifying how many games they are likely to attend by seeing a full fixture,” Issko mentioned.
“The floating fixture was born out of necessity during the Covid-19 period when the AFL needed to be agile and innovative but that time has clearly passed.”
Issko made the purpose that no different sporting code on the planet, or in Australia, had a floating fixture with unknown scheduling of greater than 60 video games throughout the ultimate weeks of the season.
After locking in solely the opening 9 rounds of the 2022 season, the AFL moved away from a floating fixture as a response to crowds dropping to their lowest ranges in 26 years that season.
But the concept was not shelved fully, with the primary 15 rounds 2023 locked in, with rounds 16-23 left open to permit for one of the best video games to be in one of the best TV timeslots.
Citing the necessity to put together work and journey preparations forward of time, the AFLFA needs any ingredient of the floating fixture deserted in 2024.
“On behalf of our fans we call for fixture certainty in 2024 and want the full fixture announced,” Issko mentioned.
The AFL has indicated it can start the 2024 season with 4 video games performed in Sydney and Queensland throughout March 8-10 earlier than the standard Richmond-Carlton blockbuster on the MCG.
Originally printed as AFL’s floating fixture slammed as legacy of Covid seasons
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
