CLUBS are facing fierce competition for a place in just five or six marquee Thursday night games in 2017.

The League has written to clubs to pitch their wish lists for next year's home-and-away schedule and Thursday night is expected to be a popular request. 

However, despite the success of the lucrative timeslot, the League is hesitant to dramatically increase the number of Thursday night matches next year.

Along with the Richmond-Carlton season opener, the League had a four-week block of Thursday night fixtures this season.

On Monday, the League confirmed to AFL.com.au it was considering a Thursday night final in week one of this year's finals series, which would take the total for the year to six.

Next year marks the start of a new, six-year broadcast rights agreement, but the League appears content with not overdoing the lucrative timeslot.

"There's a few things to be mindful of," AFL clubs and operations general manager Travis Auld said. 

"We've had five of them for each of the last two years," he said. 

"Next year I think we'd look at five to six, it's about the right number."

Auld pointed to the event status that comes with having a limited number of Thursday night blockbusters in different parts of the country. 

"You've got to get the right teams certainly in the right state, you don't want to overdo them, but so far they've worked really well, particularly in the markets that we've rolled them out in," he said.

Auld wouldn't rule out increasing the number of Thursday night games down the track, but said the League was restricted by the need for six-day breaks.  

"There's certainly scope within the rights, the only constraint is really making sure our players get the breaks they require for their welfare.

"You need to build them in and around our byes and that's what we'll do again next year."