Shorter quarters are coming.
That appears to be a reality that AFL fans are going to have to reckon with by the time Tasmania enter the competition in 2028.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: AFL set for shorter quarters ahead of Tassie inception
League bosses have made no secret for several years now of their desire to reduce total game length, with matches often blowing out well past 120 minutes.
The AFL has done its best to reduce game time by clamping down on what football operations boss Greg Swann has called “dead time”, and Swann told The Agenda Setters earlier this year that some progress had been made in that space.
But games are still too long, particularly given the looming likelihood of another home and away match being added to the fixture when Tasmania enters because of the uneven number of teams their inclusion will create.
Quarters were shortened in the 2020 season due to the compressed nature of the COVID-affected season, but restored to the traditional 20 minutes plus time-on the next year.
But it appears we could be headed back down that path.
“If we want to have more games we probably need a shorter game,” AFL commission chair Craig Drummond said this week.
“Most football people, and the players certainly, and the PA (Players’ Association), would say we’re probably just about maxed out on the number of minutes per game.
“It is likely — and we are talking to the clubs — that we’ll see some meaningful change in our scheduling in 2028.”
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Speaking on The Agenda Setters on Wednesday night, Mitch Cleary explained big changes are a near certainty come 2028.
“I think there’s a world in this new fixture we see 24 games, 11 home, 11 away, a Gather Round match, and then another match becomes floating so teams can take that game to Tassie, Alice Springs, Darwin — these are the things being discussed,” he said.
“And on the shorter quarters, I think it’s inevitable. I think fans hate the thought of it, they hate less content.
“I think we’re going back, whether it’s this year or next, when Tassie enters the competition, we will see less than 20 minutes and time-on enter the AFL.”
