SATURDAY afternoon is the preferred timeslot for the majority of footy fans, both during the season and for the Grand Final, while three quarters of fans are opposed to the introduction of a wildcard system for finals.
They are some of the findings of AFL.com.au's Footy Fan Survey, with 75 per cent of the more than 33,000 respondents wanting the AFL Grand Final to remain on a Saturday afternoon, with the idea of a twilight or night Grand Final getting little support.
More than a third of respondents also prefer Saturday afternoon games in season, and despite the Saturday twilight games doing huge numbers this year, Friday night games were the second most popular response (24 per cent)
Fans were split regarding making player salaries public, with 49 per cent saying they should remain a secret. Twenty-seven per cent said each player's wage should be on the public record, like it is in American sports, while 24 per cent want salaries to be public, but sorted into bands instead of revealing specific numbers.
The concept of a mid-season trade period was backed in some form by 70 per cent of respondents, while opinion is divided (51 to 49) in favour of clubs being allowed to trade draft picks multiple years in advance.
The introduction of Gather Round has been a raging success with 70 per cent of fans voting in favour, but Opening Round had much less support, with only 26 per cent giving it a tick of approval.
One of the most comprehensive results was opposition to a wildcard finals system, where 7th would play 10th and 8th would face 9th for the final two spots in the top eight. Three quarters of fans (75 per cent) were opposed to the idea, while more than two thirds of respondents (71 per cent) said they don't like the floating fixture.
A total of 33,189 people had their say in the 2024 AFL.com.au Footy Fan Survey, which is now closed. The full results are below
What is your favourite timeslot to attend games?
Saturday afternoon - 35 per cent
Friday night - 24 per cent
Saturday twilight - 15 per cent
Saturday night - 15 per cent
Thursday night - 6 per cent
Sunday afternoon - 4 per cent
Sunday twilight - 1 per cent
What time should the AFL Grand Final be played?
Afternoon, keep it as is - 75 per cent
Twilight - 19 per cent
Night - 6 per cent
Do you enjoy Gather Round?
Yes, and I'm not from SA - 60 per cent
No, and I'm not from SA - 28 per cent
Yes, and I'm from SA - 10 per cent
No, and I'm from SA - 2 per cent
Did you enjoy Opening Round?
No, and I'm not from NSW/Qld - 61 per cent
Yes, and I'm not from NSW/Qld - 16 per cent
No, and I'm from NSW/Qld - 11 per cent
Yes, and I'm from NSW/Qld - 10 per cent
Do you like the floating fixture (where dates for rounds 16-24 are not confirmed until during the season?
No, but I understand the reason for it - 39 per cent
No, and I don't understand the reason for it - 32 per cent
Yes - 29 per cent
Do you support a wildcard system for finals (ie 7th v 10th and 8th v 9th for the final two spots in the top eight)
No - 75 per cent
Yes - 25 per cent
Should each player's salary be made public?
No - 49 per cent
Yes - 27 per cent
Yes, but sorted into bands - 24 per cent
Do you support the introduction of mid-season trading?
Yes - 45 per cent
No - 32 per cent
Yes, but with restrictions - 23 per cent
Should clubs be allowed to trade draft picks multiple years in advance?
Yes - 51 per cent
No - 49 per cent
What should the sub rule be?
Five on the bench, no sub - 47 per cent
Keep it as is (four on the bench, plus a sub) - 36 per cent
Four on the bench, no sub - 17 per cent
If a 20th AFL/AFLW club was to be introduced after Tasmania, where should it be based?
Northern Territory - 52 per cent
We don't need a 20th team - 18 per cent
Canberra - 13 per cent
Western Australia - 9 per cent
North Queensland - 4 per cent
Adelaide - 4 per cent
Should the AFL introduce extra time for drawn games in the home and away season?
No - 67 per cent
Yes - 33 per cent
Should the AFL introduce a send-off rule?
No - 58 per cent
Yes - 42 per cent
Has the score review and the use of technology improved the game?
Yes, it's important to get decisions right - 73 per cent
No, leave it to the on-field umpires - 27 per cent
Is footy better to watch than 10 years ago?
No - 40 per cent
Yes - 38 per cent
It's the same - 22 per cent
What do you think of the current length of games (4 x 20-min quarters plus time on)?
I like it - 88 per cent
Too long - 7 per cent
Too short - 5 per cent
Who is the best player in the AFL right now?
Marcus Bontempelli - 41 per cent
Nick Daicos - 21 per cent
Isaac Heeney - 14 per cent
Patrick Cripps - 5 per cent
Errol Gulden - 4 per cent
Chad Warner - 4 per cent
Charlie Curnow - 3 per cent
(nine players had 2 per cent and under)
Which of these players, who are all 21 years and under, will be the best player in five years?
Nick Daicos - 45 per cent
Harley Reid - 26 per cent
Sam Darcy - 9 per cent
Will Ashcroft - 6 per cent
Jason Horne-Francis - 4 per cent
Harry Sheezel - 3 per cent
George Wardlaw - 3 per cent
(three players had 2 per cent and under)
Who is the best coach in the AFL?
Craig McRae - 31 per cent
John Longmire - 21 per cent
Michael Voss - 10 per cent
Chris Scott - 9 per cent
Sam Mitchell - 7 per cent
Justin Longmuir - 6 per cent
Brad Scott - 4 per cent
(11 coaches had 3 per cent and under)
Who is your favourite play-by-play commentator on TV?
Anthony Hudson - 23 per cent
Brian Taylor - 17 per cent
James Brayshaw - 15 per cent
Dwayne Russell - 9 per cent
Matt Hill - 8 per cent
Luke Darcy - 6 per cent
Mark Howard - 5 per cent
Alister Nicholson - 4 per cent
(4 commentators had 3 per cent and under)
Who is your favourite expert commentator on TV?
Luke Hodge - 15 per cent
Matthew Richardson - 13 per cent
Jason Dunstall - 12 per cent
Nathan Buckley - 10 per cent
David King - 8 per cent
Dale Thomas - 7 per cent
Joel Selwood - 5 per cent
Jonathan Brown - 4 per cent
Dermott Brereton - 4 per cent
Eddie Betts - 4 per cent
Gerard Healy - 4 per cent
(7 commentators had 3 per cent and under)