Australian Football Association of North America

by Johnson Leung, reporting for AFANA in Melbourne

Schedules for the 2007 AFL premiership season and the pre-season National Australia Bank Cup have been revealed in Melbourne. The main features of next year's regular season are the re-introduction of Sunday twilight games and Rounds 15-22 will not be repeats of Rounds 1-7, meaning some teams will clash twice within seven weeks. The 2007 fixture was compiled using state-of-the-art scheduling software which is also used by the National Football League in the US.

2007 NAB Cup Schedule
2007 AFL Draw (schedule)

Sunday twilight matches, last held in the early 1990s, will be played on every weekend of the home and away season for the first time (23 in total), a move aimed squarely at building the AFL's television audience. Ten twilight matches will be played in Melbourne (starting at 5.10pm AEST), nine in Perth and four in Adelaide (starting at 4.45pm AEST). The first Sunday twilight game sees Carlton up against traditional rival Richmond.

The AFL have tried a fairer travel load and scheduled all teams to go interstate at least four times. The biggest change is that clubs will not go interstate the week after going to Perth. All clubs will play at least once in Perth and in Adelaide.

Melbourne and St Kilda will kick off next season at the MCG on Friday, March 30. The Grand Final re-match between Sydney v West Coast will be played at Telstra Stadium the following night, the first time the previous year's grand finalists have met in the opening round since 1990. As reported previously, Round 1 will go head to head with the last three days of FINA World Swimming Championships in Melbourne.

AFL chief operating officer Ben Buckley said he was confident any last-minute broadcasting deals struck between Foxtel and Channels Seven and Ten would not affect the 2007 fixture. Buckley said the fixture, with the possibility of some minor time changes, would remain as is regardless of whether Seven and Ten show all eight games a week or whether they come to an agreement with Foxtel for three or possibly even four games to be shown live on pay television.

The NAB Cup will begin on February 23 with the clash between the Crows and the Power at AAMI Stadium and North Melbourne versus Collingwood at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast. The matches will also mark Channel Seven's return to AFL coverage after five years' absence. Geelong will begin its defence of the pre-season trophy with a home clash at Skilled Stadium against Richmond on February 24.

Sources: MX, AAP, afl.com, author's notes