THURSDAY night teams are back.
After strong fan feedback the AFL has confirmed that team announcements will return to their traditional Thursday night slot, starting from round 10.
AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan said the League had changed the format in 2020 to accommodate for shorter turnarounds between games.
Bit of debate on this one, when do you prefer to get the teams? ??
— AFL (@AFL) May 3, 2021
However, with a resumption to a 'normal' season in 2021, the decision was an "easy" one.
"Thursday night teams is a tradition for fans, tipsters, Fantasy footy players and our League," McLachlan said.
"Last year, we had to make some necessary changes to assist our clubs in getting through, and part of that was moving the team announcements to combat the four or five-day breaks we were faced with.
"After working through the feedback from fans and other stakeholders over the last few weeks, we conducted some further research and the decision to return to the traditional timeslot was an easy one."
Clubs were advised of the return to Thursday night team announcements earlier on Tuesday.
Team announcement timings for round 10 onwards
Thursday games – final teams (18 players, 4 interchange players, 4 emergencies). Announced Wednesday, 6.20pm AEST
Friday and Saturday games – final teams (18 players, 4 interchange players, 4 emergencies). Announced Thursday, 6.20pm AEST
Sunday and Monday games – extended squads (18 players, 8 emergencies). Announced Thursday, 6.20pm AEST
Sunday games – final teams (18 players, 4 interchange players, 4 emergencies). Announced Friday, 5.00pm AEST
Monday games – final teams (18 players, 4 interchange players, 4 emergencies). Announced Saturday, 4.30pm AEST
If games are to be played on Tuesday or Wednesday, final teams will be announced at 6:20pm AEST the day prior to the match.
