Footy is the best game in the world, 

We have the best partners, 

The best athletes,

The best supporters. 

People go, they watch, and they love it.

We saw it on the weekend what it means to people,

The connection, the belonging, the passion 

And through our new partnership today the investment will go back into the best game in the world. 

To continue to make it accessible and affordable,

To keep ticket prices down. 

To invest in facilities, for AFLW, women and girls, changerooms and grounds,  

To help your local club be the best it can be. 

To be there for footy on all levels. 

I want to again thank you all for your commitment to Australian Football.  You have all been incredible partners. The professional and personal relationships we have built together over many years is something our game truly values.  

Today is a moment when everyone involved in footy at every level should take pride in what it means to so many people in Australia. 

We are a game where today 1 in every 22 Australians are members of an AFL club.   

A game where there are 15 million supporters who have been treated to the most incredible Toyota AFL Premiership season as we bounced back from Covid. 

And then when we thought it couldn’t be any better, it has. 

We experienced the greatest opening finals round of all time that resulted in record TV ratings and sell-outs in three of the four games.   

We are a game where we have the largest number of paid female athletes in the country and where all 18 clubs are represented in the AFLW for the first time. 

We are a game where 1.7 million people participate in some way each year. 

A game that impacts on communities right across Australia, in every town, in every city. 

Today’s announcement places enormous value on the ability of Australian football to build on its sense of belonging and connection.   

This partnership is about providing a legacy that not only aggregates viewership and reach but helps footy bring people and communities together.  

We are very excited by what this universal partnership can deliver and the outcomes that it will produce for our fans. 

It will provide a level of financial security for our clubs and players to continue to attract the best athletes and coaches and ensure they have an environment where they can be their best.   

I want to thank the players and the clubs for continuing to make our game what it is. 

We want to be the game for everyone.  And this partnership will help us to do more to engage with all communities, in all states and territories and across indigenous and culturally diverse communities. 

This partnership will provide unprecedented levels of financial support to invest more in ensuring every person who wants to play footy will be able to play footy.   

It will allow us to invest heavily in expanding our reach into the local community and also to invest in the next generation through more digital products that are targeted at attracting kids and providing a pathway to engaging physically with our game. 

And importantly this announcement means we will have at least the same number of free to air games on the Seven Network.

I want to say that again – we will have at least the same number of Free to Air games. 

This partnership is an incredible result. Unprecedented and the biggest in Australian sport.  

Let me outline how it will work. 

It is a seven-year partnership from 2025 to the end of the 2031 season.  

The AFL continues to have full control of the production of the fixture, including the scheduling time of the AFL Grand Final.  This is important to continue to provide fans certainty and ensuring the right mix of match ups and timeslots. 

Broadcast live and free nationally on the Seven Network and 7+ digital will be AFL on Thursday nights, Friday nights, selected Saturday nights, Sunday afternoons, Marquee matches, the Brownlow Medal, all AFL Finals and the AFL Grand Final. 

• The first 15 rounds of the AFL Premiership Season to feature Thursday night matches on the Seven Network and 7+ digital
• Saturday night matches in the last eight rounds 
• All marquee matches will be live and free (Dreamtime, Anzac Eve, Anzac Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Queen’s Birthday) plus at least three additional marquee matches - such as the season opener and Queen’s Birthday Eve. 
• Broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo will be every single AFL / AFLW home and away match, every AFL / AFLW final (excluding the AFL Grand Final), all pre-season matches – and all with their own Fox Footy commentary teams. Foxtel / Kayo will also broadcast all AFL events including the AFL draft and Awards nights (excluding the Brownlow). 
• Foxtel / Kayo will own Saturday in the first eight rounds of each AFL season, broadcasting exclusively live all games in all timeslots, which the exception of Anzac Eve, Anzac Day and Dreamtime if they were to fall on a Saturday. 
• We acknowledge Foxtel’s investment in Kayo to bring the leading sports streaming product to all Australians – and we are witnessing the growth every week. 
• Outside Victoria, the match involving the local team will be broadcast live into the local market on the Seven Network and 7+ digital except for selected matches on holdbacks.
• At least 30 NAB AFLW home and away games, AFLW finals and the AFLW grand final will be live and free on the Seven Network and 7+ digital with local market substitution rules. ALL NAB AFLW matches and events will also be broadcast on Foxtel and Kayo.
• All Free to Air games mirrored and available on 7+ digital in all local markets. 
• In addition, our partnership with Telstra is extending and by the end of this agreement we will have celebrated 30 years with Telstra as our digital and technology partner, connecting fans to the game they love anywhere, anytime on any platform.   
• Through this new deal Telstra will be building on their investment into Marvel Stadium and extending into innovation and our digital offerings through the AFL / AFLW apps and all 18 clubs’ websites. 

The total agreement we are announcing today with our broadcast partners covers seven seasons from Season 2025 – until the end of the 2031 season and will deliver footy a financial return of $4.5 billion. 

Footy is the greatest game in the world, we have the best broadcast partners, and our announcement today is the biggest partnership in the history of Australian sport 

On behalf of the AFL, we are very proud to once again be hand in hand with the Seven Network, Foxtel, Kayo and Telstra.