Michael Voss will go head-to-head with James Hird in the opening round of the 2011 NAB Cup pre-season competition.

The NAB Cup fixture, released on Tuesday, will see 18 teams (including the Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney) split into six pools of three.

The Brisbane Lions will match up against St Kilda and Essendon, led by new Senior Coach James Hird - the man that Michael Voss shared the 1996 Brownlow Medal with.

The revamped format to the competition will see teams play two games on one day with the matches consisting of two 20-minutes halves.

The competition gets underway on the night of Friday, February 11, when Adelaide, Port Adelaide and Melbourne meet at AAMI Stadium.

"Supporters will see their team play twice and, all up, there will be three matches played during a three-hour period," said the AFL's chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan.

"We had received a lot of feedback from clubs that three full-scale pre-season matches was the right number for them in terms of their preparation for the premiership season.

"This format allows for three matches, along with a first week where players can play one match for 40 minutes, with a light run, or play both games for 80 minutes of football."

The teams that top their pools will automatically gain a place in the second round, while the two best-performing runners-up will also progress as wildcards.

All second-round matches, along with the semi-final and grand final, will be full-length games.

The NAB Cup grand final will take place on Friday, March 11. It will be telecast by Channel 7.

ROUND ONE POOLS AND THEIR LOCATIONS
- Adelaide, Port Adelaide and Melbourne at AAMI Stadium, February 11 (Friday night)
- Collingwood, Carlton and Richmond at Etihad Stadium, February 12 (Saturday night)
- West Coast, Fremantle and Hawthorn at Patersons Stadium (Subiaco Oval), February 13 (Sunday afternoon)
- Essendon, the Brisbane Lions and St Kilda at Etihad Stadium, February 18 (Friday night)
- Greater Western Sydney, Sydney Swans and Gold Coast at Blacktown Olympic Park, February 19 (Saturday night)
- Geelong, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Skilled Stadium, February 20 (Sunday afternoon)