Round 1 could break crowd record

AFL deputy CEO Gillon McLachlan says Round 1 could break the attendance record. Source: Herald Sun

THE AFL says it makes no apologies for the soft two-game weekend that opens Round 1.

The league says it was forced to play only a handful of games on the opening weekend because of the unavailability of grounds such as the MCG and the Gabba.

Only one Victorian team is playing this weekend, with fans having to wait until next Thursday for the Carlton-Richmond blockbuster.

But deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan said yesterday the league was maximising the number of prime-time games for broadcasters with this weekend's Adelaide-Essendon and West Coast-Fremantle matches.

He said over the opening round, the AFL could set a record for crowds.

"We don't think (it takes the gloss off). We obviously can't go a week early (with nine games) because of the unavailability of cricket venues," McLachlan said.

"But we have put together a very strong opening round and we think it will be close to a sell-out in Adelaide and Perth. We have two big games at the MCG the following weekend, and we get more games into prime time over one round.

"It's a good strong way to open the season."

As well as two derbies, the round contains the growing Geelong-Hawthorn rivalry on Easter Monday and a North Melbourne-Collingwood clash that could draw 40,000.

"They are cracking games and I think we are a cheeky chance of breaking the all-time record at a round, which is 367,000," McLachlan said.

"I reckon (Carlton-Richmond) will be 80,000-plus.

"They should get 40,000 in Adelaide and Perth, and 70,000 at Hawthorn-Geelong." That record came in Round 22, 1998, when 367,974 people watched games that included Geelong-Essendon (61,089), Melbourne-Richmond (76,387), and four other games with crowds ranging between 34,000 and 40,000.

McLachlan, acting football operations manager, will hand over that responsibility to newly-appointed Mark Evans when Evans starts at the AFL next week.

The AFL is set to appoint a general manager of fan development this year after a fall in crowds last year.

The league said, in part, this came through either the GWS Giants or the Gold Coast Suns being involved in 20 per cent of games last year.

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