THE AAMI Community Series pre-season schedule has been reduced to one game per team as the AFL looks to reduce travel ahead of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
Each of the 18 clubs will play an official AAMI Community Series game from Wednesday 3 March to Sunday 7 March, instead of the originally scheduled two games across three weeks.
The revised fixture and ticketing for those games is yet to be released, but the format and length of those games will be the same as the premiership season.
In addition to the AAMI Community Series games, each team will also play a pre-season practice match against a team from the same state to avoid extra travel. The format of those games – including number of players, quarter length etc – will be decided by the participating teams.
All clubs will have a minimum seven-day break between their pre-season practice match and their AAMI Community Series game.
The AFL's executive general manager of clubs and broadcast, Travis Auld, said flexibility was a priority in the revised pre-season schedule.
"In addition to ensuring we continue to prioritise the health of our players, staff, and the wider community, this arrangement provides clubs with the ability to determine individual requirements, allowing clubs and players to best prepare for the season ahead," Mr. Auld said.
