THE AFL will update the recent changes made to its much-talked about interchange system, with post-it notes to be a thing of the past.

AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the “new streamlined changes” would come into effect immediately – meaning this weekend’s round 10 matches.

Free kicks, 50m penalties and possible fines will still apply for infringements and when certain rules are breached.

But the pressure on interchange stewards at boundary level will be eased, with computers to make life easier than keeping track of every change by paper.

“We’ve decided that we can make a change,” Anderson said at AFL House on Wednesday afternoon.

“By taking into account the feedback we’ve received, the operation of the interchange holding area and using Champion Data technology to keep a written record rather than a manual record for the interchange stewards.

“This is a means for us to further improve the interchange procedures.

“There’s no doubt that the changes introduced last week were absolutely necessary … but after the weekend’s operation and having listened to the feedback that we’ve got and looked at what else is available, we think is the opportunity for a further change which will streamline the process even further.”

Anderson said while he couldn’t guarantee mistakes wouldn’t occur under the new changes – he cited the weekend error in which the West Coast Eagles were wrongly penalised a goal against Adelaide as “human error” – he believed it would make the interchange process easier.

“The requirement of notification of an interchange before it takes place will no longer apply,” Anderson said.

“It will no longer be necessary for our interchange stewards to write down that information or to give approval.

“Champion Data will supply electronic information which the interchange stewards will be able to access.

“Their [the interchange stewards’] sole role will be to monitor the players on the field and that they go through the interchange area.

Clubs will no longer have to gain approval for every interchange, with there being only three occasions in which they must notify an interchange steward, those being;

* the numbers of the four players on the bench at the start of each quarter;
* any player that leaves the playing surface on a stretcher, and;
* when any player leaves the arena, for example when a player leaves the ground to go to the rooms to seek medical treatment.