‘Big winner': AFL chief doubles down on Thursday football despite criticism
League chief executive Andrew Dillon on Tuesday defended the key slot but promised he would push for a wider spread of teams playing on Thursday nights next season.
Thursday night football was embraced for a full season for the first time this year. Declaring that move a success, Dillon said the timeslot had delivered an average TV audience of 1.06 million viewers – up one per cent on last year – and average attendance of 40,000 – four per cent lower than last year's 42,000.
'Thursday nights have averaged above the season average, so that's a tick. Thursday nights have rated extremely well, but what I think is important is that we have a spread of teams that play through those different slots, so absolutely we will take that on board,' Dillon said from the sidelines of the inaugural AFL industry summit at Marvel Stadium.
'We have evolved the fixture over the last couple of years with the floating fixture, which is not always as popular with all of our fans. But we think that is one important part.
Loading
'Maybe this year is a bit of an outlier in terms of the teams that were selected earlier on, some big Victorian teams, who were in pretty solid form at the time the floating fixture was put in. That hasn't come to fruition.
'Again, the games are still rating pretty well, are still pretty well attended, but we will take on the feedback from fans, broadcasters and our clubs as we look to the 2026 fixture.'
The past two months in the heart of winter and the school year have been a hard sell for the timeslot, broadcasters Seven and Foxtel not helped by the disappointing campaigns of power clubs Carlton (six Thursday night games so far this season) and Essendon (five). The two clubs are also likely to meet on a Thursday night in round 24.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
Miserable start for Aussie star skipper in the Hundred
Beth Mooney, one of three Australian captains in the women's Hundred tournament in England, has endured a miserable launch to her reign at Manchester Originals, failing with the bat before overseeing a comprehensive six-wicket defeat. At the Originals' Old Trafford base on Wednesday, the 31-year-old Victorian wicketkeeper-batter star lost the toss against the Southern Brave - and things only went quickly downhill after her side were put in to bat. Opening the batting as ever, Mooney, who's taken over the captaincy from star English international teammate Sophie Ecclestone, had hoped to emulate fellow Aussies Meg Lanning and Grace Harris, whose brilliant batting on Tuesday had lit up the Hundred's opening day at Lord's. Instead, she first had to watch her partner Kathryn Bryce get bowled for a second-ball duck before her own struggles began. Mooney had managed to eke out just a single from the first five balls she faced before she failed to get on top of a delivery from English allrounder Mady Villiers that got a bit of extra bounce and cut straight into the hands of backward point Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Her exit was just the start of the collapse as the hosts were quickly reduced to 5-39 off just 41 balls, with Lauren Bell (3-28) and Villiers (2-18) doing most of the early damage. Only Seren Smale ralled for the Originals, scoring an unbeaten 40 from 34 balls to give Mooney's side a semblance of hope as they closed on 8-95 off their 100-ball allocation. Laura Wolvaardt and Wyatt-Hodge put on 48 from 36 deliveries to set the visitors on the road to victory, even though the latter got a beauty and was bowled for 32 by England colleague Ecclestone. Veteran Kiwi Sophie Devine was dismissed for a duck by Danielle Gregory and Ecclestone caught Freya Kemp off Ameilia Kerr, but Wolvaardt safely steered Southern Brave to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 42 off 37 balls. It was a disappointing start for Mooney, who's been charged with helping restore the fortunes of the Originals as their on-field leader, as their women's side have yet to ever progress beyond the group stages of the event. Mooney's fellow Australian skippers - Ellyse Perry is in charge of the Birmingham Phoenix while Ash Gardner is leading the Trent Rockets - will be hoping to do better when they lead their teams into a duel at Edgbaston on Friday.
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Miserable start for Aussie star skipper in the Hundred
Beth Mooney, one of three Australian captains in the women's Hundred tournament in England, has endured a miserable launch to her reign at Manchester Originals, failing with the bat before overseeing a comprehensive six-wicket defeat. At the Originals' Old Trafford base on Wednesday, the 31-year-old Victorian wicketkeeper-batter star lost the toss against the Southern Brave - and things only went quickly downhill after her side were put in to bat. Opening the batting as ever, Mooney, who's taken over the captaincy from star English international teammate Sophie Ecclestone, had hoped to emulate fellow Aussies Meg Lanning and Grace Harris, whose brilliant batting on Tuesday had lit up the Hundred's opening day at Lord's. Instead, she first had to watch her partner Kathryn Bryce get bowled for a second-ball duck before her own struggles began. Mooney had managed to eke out just a single from the first five balls she faced before she failed to get on top of a delivery from English allrounder Mady Villiers that got a bit of extra bounce and cut straight into the hands of backward point Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Her exit was just the start of the collapse as the hosts were quickly reduced to 5-39 off just 41 balls, with Lauren Bell (3-28) and Villiers (2-18) doing most of the early damage. Only Seren Smale ralled for the Originals, scoring an unbeaten 40 from 34 balls to give Mooney's side a semblance of hope as they closed on 8-95 off their 100-ball allocation. Laura Wolvaardt and Wyatt-Hodge put on 48 from 36 deliveries to set the visitors on the road to victory, even though the latter got a beauty and was bowled for 32 by England colleague Ecclestone. Veteran Kiwi Sophie Devine was dismissed for a duck by Danielle Gregory and Ecclestone caught Freya Kemp off Ameilia Kerr, but Wolvaardt safely steered Southern Brave to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 42 off 37 balls. It was a disappointing start for Mooney, who's been charged with helping restore the fortunes of the Originals as their on-field leader, as their women's side have yet to ever progress beyond the group stages of the event. Mooney's fellow Australian skippers - Ellyse Perry is in charge of the Birmingham Phoenix while Ash Gardner is leading the Trent Rockets - will be hoping to do better when they lead their teams into a duel at Edgbaston on Friday.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Inspiring acts why WAFL matters more than ever
Yes the AFL is the big show. The big game in town. It's polished and professional. But sometimes, the game we love can be a little bit out of reach — and that's where the WAFL comes in. There's a beautiful simplicity about the local league and it can remind you why you fell in love with footy in the first place. It's because you can bring the kids, spread out a rug, kick a footy at half-time, and let the afternoon roll by like 'the old days'. You can rock in right before bouncedown … no queues here and it costs only $20 or less (it's free at Good Grocer Park in East Fremantle). And guess what, if you get down near the fence you can actually hear the crunch of the tackles if that's what really gets your blood pumping. And during the breaks, you can see the veins in the coach's neck bulge as he's giving the forwards a spray. The best part? You can wander out on to the ground and have a kick with your kids. This isn't second-rate footy. It's football in its purest form. And the WAFL is played just how the founding fathers had dreamt it would be. Peel Thunder's Liam Reidy and Claremont's Oliver Eastland. Credit: Jackson Flindell / The West Australian There's no flooding. Less structure, with more one-on-one contests. Players going head-to-head all day long. It's a complete mano-a-mano contest. No ganging up on your opposition … it's like Jakovich v Carey, or Glass v Pavlich. The players are just like you and me, to some degree. They have real jobs — day jobs — or they're chasing a dream, many just playing for the love the game and a bit of extra coin. You can even chat to them in the club bar or in the carpark afterwards. And this isn't just about some Barra nostalgia trip. The standard of WAFL footy is bloody good and it's real and raw. AFL is the big time, and we love it. But WAFL, that's the heart and soul. So this weekend, grab a scarf, bring the kids. Eat a pie, have a beer and cheer on the Tigers, the Lions or my Demons from the fence. And remember what footy used to feel like … and what it can still be. It's about community — and nowhere was that clearer than on the weekend at Revo Fitness Stadium. On what was arguably the coldest and wettest day of the footy season, Claremont drew a crowd — not just to see dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe make his WAFL return but for a Big Freeze fundraiser for Fight MND, held in honour of local dad Jordan Early. Nat Fyfe playing for Peel Thunder. Credit: Jackson Flindell / The West Australian And the celebrity sliders went all-in. West Coast AFLW coach Daisy Pearce — a seasoned slider — joined Eagles legend John Worsfold. Woosha dressed as tennis star Alicia Molik and Molik kitted out as Eagles wonderkid Harley Reid — complete with mouthguard and headband. And three of the western suburbs' most prominent headmasters also braved the icy waters. Alec O'Connell (Scotch College), who took the plunge and challenged others to match his commitment. Dean Dell'Oro (Hale School), who was backing Hale Old Boy Jordan 100 per cent, and Alan Jones (Christ Church Grammar) who made sure the old school rivalries carried on in icy style, promising a plunge that would go down in schoolboy folklore. It was fun, it was powerful and it sure made a splash. Jordan Early and Jo Moullin. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian Jordan Early, just 42, was diagnosed with MND earlier this year. A father of three, his world changed overnight, but so did his community — rallying around him, proving that even on the coldest day, a bit of warmth and hope goes a long way. His partner Jo Moullin summed it up: 'Hope is so important, and it shouldn't be taken away so abruptly.' She's right you know, this is a beast of a disease, and with MND you don't have the luxury of time. Channel 7 had special coverage of the event and many a tear was shed amongst the crew who worked on this Big Freeze. The theme was to rally together and stand beside those battling the Beast. But Saturday wasn't just about fundraising. It was about reminding a family — and all of us really — that footy is more than wins and losses. It's about people showing up for each other. That's WAFL. And that's why WAFL matters. Claremont, right here in the western suburbs, are chasing another flag on the field. But off the field, they've already won the most important game of all — the one that brings people together. So, this weekend, do yourself a favour. Pop down to the local oval. Bring a scarf. Bring your voice. And bring your love of the game. Because WAFL still matters. And in many ways, it matters more than ever.
