Embargo – 2:00pm Monday Press conference – 3:00pm Monday
Media Release from the Australian Football League
2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Fixture.
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- 22 matches across 23 rounds to resume in Season 2021 - Rounds One to Six Fixture released today - Five Thursday night matches in the first five rounds - 14 of the 18 Clubs play in marquee Thursday and / or Friday timeslots in the opening six weeks - Men’s footy returns to Victoria, NSW, ACT, Tasmania after a Covid-19 affected 2020 campaign - AFL / AFLW Double headers in Rounds One and Two - Rivalries aplenty across the first six weeks - ANZAC Appeal Round to conclude the first block of the fixture - Match ups and venues released for Round 7 to 23, dates and times to be announced throughout the season.
The AFL has today released Round One to Six of the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, which will see men’s footy return to Victoria, NSW, ACT and Tasmania after a Covid-19 affected 2020 campaign.
The opening rounds of the season are jampacked with big matches, with five Thursday night matches in each of the first five weeks, while 14 of the 18 clubs will feature in marquee Thursday and / or Friday timeslots across the opening six weeks.
A focus on rivalries, both traditional and new, will feature heavily across the first six rounds, with reigning Premiers Richmond unveiling their 2019 and 2020 Premiership flags at the MCG ahead of their customary clash with Carlton which will open the 2021 season.
Essendon vs Hawthorn (Round One), Carlton vs Collingwood (Round Two), Geelong Cats vs Hawthorn (Round Three), Sydney Swans vs GWS Giants (Round Five), GWS Giants vs Western Bulldogs (Round Six) and Collingwood vs Essendon (Round Six) are some of the matches featured.
AFL and AFLW double headers will feature in both Round One, with Brisbane Lions vs Sydney Swans at the Gabba to follow Brisbane Lions vs Collingwood in the AFLW, and in Round Two, as Gold Coast Suns host North Melbourne at Metricon Stadium for both the men’s and women’s competitions.
Australian Football League PREMIER PARTNER AFL House 140 Harbour Esplanade Docklands Victoria 3008 Telephone 613 9643 1999 Facsimile 613 96431871 All correspondence to GPO Box 1449 Melbourne Victoria 3001 Australia www.afl.com.au ABN 97 489 912 318 INSTITUTED 1896 - 2 - Round Three will be played over the Easter Weekend, with Brisbane Lions and Collingwood at the Gabba playing on the now traditional Easter Thursday timeslot. A double header on Good Friday will once again be a feature of the Easter round as North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs play at Marvel Stadium in a match that supports the Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal, followed by the Adelaide Crows vs Gold Coast SUNS at Adelaide Oval.
Canberra will host its first match of the season on Easter Sunday as the GWS GIANTS play Melbourne at UNSW Canberra Oval, while Geelong and Hawthorn will once again do battle on Easter Monday at the MCG.
Round Four will see 2020 minor Premiers Port Adelaide face off against 2020 Premiers Richmond under Friday night lights at Adelaide Oval. Gold Coast SUNS will play Carlton at Metricon on Saturday night. In continuing the momentum and strong viewing numbers built in Queensland across the 2020 season, Channel 7 will broadcast all Saturday night games into Queensland on their primary channel in the first six rounds.
Round Five features three big nights to open the round, as St Kilda play Richmond at Marvel Stadium on the Thursday, West Coast Eagles host Collingwood at Optus Stadium on the Friday, then Brisbane Lions take on Essendon at the Gabba on Saturday night.
The Anzac Appeal Round (Round Six), completes the first block fixturing as GWS Giants return to Canberra to play the Western Bulldogs on Friday night, while Melbourne and Richmond compete in the now annual Anzac Day Eve match under lights at the MCG.
Anzac Day, Sunday April 25, will see three matches played.
Tasmania will host its first AFL Premiership Season match since season 2019, as Hawthorn hosts the Adelaide Crows at Launceston, followed by the traditional Anzac Day match between Collingwood and Essendon at the MCG. Port Adelaide will then take on St Kilda at Adelaide Oval in a Sunday night match to conclude the round.
Five-day breaks have once again been introduced, subject to parameters agreed with the AFLPA, to provide the best flexibility around Thursday and Friday night scheduling.
AFL Executive General Manager of Clubs and Broadcasting Travis Auld said the initial block of the fixture was constructed with the primary aim to achieve a strong start with a series of key Thursday and Friday night matches to build momentum into the early part of the season.
“We begin season 2021 with a renewed level of optimism, focusing on delivering fans a blockbuster schedule of matches to open the season.” Mr Auld said.
“Having so many different clubs feature in marquee timeslots is testament to the success of the AFL’s equalisation policies. The competitiveness and the ability for any team to win on any day gave us great confidence in the spread of marquee timeslots to begin the season.
“The first six weeks looks as exciting as any recent season in memory. We know supporters are looking forward to the return of the AFL season and there is much for fans to look forward to, whether that be attending matches or watching the broadcast.”
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Mr Auld also said it was important to be able to schedule matches in the cities and states that had some significant challenges in the past 10 months.
“Bringing footy back to capital cities that faced a very uncertain and challenging time this year due to the Covid pandemic will be uplifting for not only the fans in those states, but also for the teams themselves that haven’t played in front of home crowds for basically a whole season.
Mr Auld also cautioned the industry on the on-going challenges of the pandemic.
“We must not lose sight of the ongoing pandemic, we will remain diligent and take every precaution, both at clubs during the week and in stadiums on match day, to ensure the health and well-being of everyone continues to be the key priority.
“Scheduling the fixture in blocks provides an added level of flexibility to adjust where required, and as our recent season demonstrated, our clubs and industry have the resilience and open- mindness to adapt where needed to keep footy going for the fans.”
“The storylines for season 2021 will be constructed across the course of the year, and we are excited to see how the players and clubs will shape the first six chapters of that story.”
Other highlights in the fixture beyond Rounds 1-6 include Sir Doug Nicholls Round to occur over Rounds 11-12 and to feature matches in both Darwin and Alice Springs, as well as the Dreamtime Game and Sydney’s Marn Grook game. The AFL is pleased to announce that the fixture will also include a match in Cairns – with St Kilda hosting Adelaide Crows in Round 13.
The timeslots for the next block of matches will be released once the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership season begins.
Matches will be broadcast live by the Seven Network, Foxtel and via Kayo and the official AFL Live App thanks to Telstra.
The AFL would like to acknowledge the support of all industry stakeholders throughout this process as well as Optimal Planning for their assistance in the construction of the fixture.
Please see below 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Fixture All matches round 7-23 listed alphabetically with timeslots to be determined at a later date.
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Round One Thursday, Mar 18 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
Richmond vs. Carlton MCG (SEVEN) 7:25pm 7:25pm
Friday, Mar 19 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
Collingwood vs. Western Bulldogs MCG (SEVEN) 7:50pm 7:50pm
Saturday, Mar 20 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
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Melbourne vs. Fremantle MCG (FOX) 1:45pm 1:45pm
Adelaide Crows vs. Geelong Cats Adelaide Oval (FOX) 4:35pm 4:05pm
Essendon vs. Hawthorn Marvel Stadium (SEVEN) 7:25pm 7:25pm
Brisbane Lions vs. Sydney Swans The Gabba (FOX) 7:45pm 6:45pm
Sunday, Mar 21 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
North Melbourne vs. Port Adelaide Marvel Stadium (FOX) 1:10pm 1:10pm
GWS GIANTS vs. St Kilda GIANTS Stadium (SEVEN) 3:20pm 3:20pm
West Coast Eagles vs. Gold Coast SUNS Optus Stadium (FOX) 6:10pm 3:10pm
Round Two Thursday, Mar 25 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
Carlton vs. Collingwood MCG (SEVEN) 7:20pm 7:20pm
Friday, Mar 26 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
Geelong Cats vs. Brisbane Lions GMHBA Stadium (SEVEN) 7:50pm 7:50pm
Saturday, Mar 27 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
Sydney Swans vs. Adelaide Crows SCG (FOX) 1:45pm 1:45pm
Port Adelaide vs. Essendon Adelaide Oval (FOX) 4:35pm 4:05pm
St Kilda vs. Melbourne Marvel Stadium (SEVEN) 7:25pm 7:25pm
Gold Coast SUNS vs. North Melbourne Metricon Stadium (FOX) 8:10pm 7:10pm
Sunday, Mar 28 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
Hawthorn vs. Richmond MCG (FOX) 1:10pm 1:10pm
Western Bulldogs vs. West Coast Eagles Marvel Stadium (SEVEN) 3:20pm 3:20pm
Fremantle vs. GWS GIANTS Optus Stadium (FOX) 6:10pm 3:10pm
Round Three Thursday, Apr 1 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
Brisbane Lions vs. Collingwood The Gabba (SEVEN) 7:40pm 6:40pm
Friday, Apr 2 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
North Melbourne vs. Western Bulldogs Marvel Stadium (SEVEN) 4:20pm 4:20pm
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Adelaide Crows vs. Gold Coast SUNS Adelaide Oval (FOX) 7:50pm 7:20pm
Saturday, Apr 3 STADIUM (NETWORK) EDT LOCAL
Richmond vs. Sydney Swans MCG (FOX) 1:45pm 1:45pm
Essendon vs. St Kilda Marvel Stadium (FOX) 4:35pm 4:35pm
West Coast Eagles vs. Port Adelaide Optus Stadium (SEVEN) 8:10pm 5:10pm
Sunday, Apr 4 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
Carlton vs. Fremantle Marvel Stadium (FOX) 3:20pm 3:20pm
GWS GIANTS vs. Melbourne Manuka Oval (FOX) 6:10pm 6:10pm
Monday, Apr 5 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
Geelong Cats vs. Hawthorn MCG (SEVEN) 3:20pm 3:20pm
Round Four Thursday, Apr 8 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
Sydney Swans vs. Essendon SCG (SEVEN) 7:20pm 7:20pm
Friday, Apr 9 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
Port Adelaide vs. Richmond Adelaide Oval (SEVEN) 7:50pm 7:20pm
Saturday, Apr 10 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
Western Bulldogs vs. Brisbane Lions Mars Stadium (FOX) 1:45pm 1:45pm
St Kilda vs. West Coast Eagles Marvel Stadium (FOX) 4:35pm 4:35pm
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Carlton Metricon Stadium (SEVEN) 7:25pm 7:25pm
Collingwood vs. GWS GIANTS MCG (FOX) 7:25pm 7:25pm
Sunday, Apr 11 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
North Melbourne vs. Adelaide Crows Marvel Stadium (FOX) 1:10pm 1:10pm
Melbourne vs. Geelong Cats MCG (SEVEN) 3:20pm 3:20pm
Fremantle vs. Hawthorn Optus Stadium (FOX) 4:40pm 2:40pm
Round Five Thursday, Apr 15 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
St Kilda vs. Richmond Marvel Stadium (SEVEN) 7:20pm 7:20pm
- 6 - Friday, Apr 16 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
West Coast Eagles vs. Collingwood Optus Stadium (SEVEN) 8:10pm 6:10pm
Saturday, Apr 17 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
Western Bulldogs vs. Gold Coast SUNS Marvel Stadium (FOX) 1:45pm 1:45pm
Sydney Swans vs. GWS GIANTS SCG (FOX) 4:35pm 4:35pm
Carlton vs. Port Adelaide MCG (FOX) 7:25pm 7:25pm
Brisbane Lions vs. Essendon The Gabba (SEVEN) 7:25pm 7:25pm
Sunday, Apr 18 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
Adelaide Crows vs. Fremantle Adelaide Oval (FOX) 1:10pm 12:40pm
Hawthorn vs. Melbourne MCG (SEVEN) 3:20pm 3:20pm
Geelong Cats vs. North Melbourne GMHBA Stadium (FOX) 4:40pm 4:40pm
Round Six Friday, Apr 23 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
GWS GIANTS vs. Western Bulldogs Manuka Oval (SEVEN) 7:50pm 7:50pm
Saturday, Apr 24 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
Geelong Cats vs. West Coast Eagles GMHBA Stadium (FOX) 1:45pm 1:45pm
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Sydney Swans Metricon Stadium (FOX) 1:45pm 1:45pm
Carlton vs. Brisbane Lions Marvel Stadium (FOX) 4:35pm 4:35pm
Melbourne vs. Richmond MCG (SEVEN) 7:25pm 7:25pm
Fremantle vs. North Melbourne Optus Stadium (FOX) 8:10pm 6:10pm
Sunday, Apr 25 STADIUM (NETWORK) EST LOCAL
University of Tasmania Hawthorn vs. Adelaide Crows Stadium (FOX) 12:30pm 12:30pm
Collingwood vs. Essendon MCG (SEVEN) 3:20pm 3:20pm
Port Adelaide vs. St Kilda Adelaide Oval (FOX) 6:40pm 6:10pm
Round Seven Friday, Apr 30 to Sunday, May 2 STADIUM
Adelaide Crows vs. GWS GIANTS Adelaide Oval - 7 -
Brisbane Lions vs. Port Adelaide The Gabba
Collingwood vs. Gold Coast SUNS MCG
Essendon vs. Carlton MCG
North Melbourne vs. Melbourne Blundstone Arena
Richmond vs. Western Bulldogs MCG
St Kilda vs. Hawthorn Marvel Stadium
Sydney Swans vs. Geelong Cats SCG
West Coast Eagles vs. Fremantle Optus Stadium
Round Eight Friday, May 7 to Sunday, May 9 STADIUM
Fremantle vs. Brisbane Lions Optus Stadium
Gold Coast SUNS vs. St Kilda Metricon Stadium
GWS GIANTS vs. Essendon GIANTS Stadium
Hawthorn vs. West Coast Eagles MCG
Melbourne vs. Sydney Swans MCG
North Melbourne vs. Collingwood Marvel Stadium
Port Adelaide vs. Adelaide Crows Adelaide Oval
Richmond vs. Geelong Cats MCG
Western Bulldogs vs. Carlton Marvel Stadium
Round Nine Friday, May 14 to Sunday, May 16 STADIUM
Essendon vs. Fremantle Marvel Stadium
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Brisbane Lions Metricon Stadium
Hawthorn vs. North Melbourne University of Tasmania Stadium
Melbourne vs. Carlton MCG
Port Adelaide vs. Western Bulldogs Adelaide Oval
Richmond vs. GWS GIANTS Marvel Stadium - 8 -
St Kilda vs. Geelong Cats Marvel Stadium
Sydney Swans vs. Collingwood SCG
West Coast Eagles vs. Adelaide Crows Optus Stadium
Round Ten Friday, May 21 to Sunday, May 23 STADIUM
Adelaide Crows vs. Melbourne Adelaide Oval
Brisbane Lions vs. Richmond The Gabba
Carlton vs. Hawthorn MCG
Collingwood vs. Port Adelaide MCG
Essendon vs. North Melbourne Marvel Stadium
Fremantle vs. Sydney Swans Optus Stadium
Geelong Cats vs. Gold Coast SUNS GMHBA Stadium
GWS GIANTS vs. West Coast Eagles GIANTS Stadium
Western Bulldogs vs. St Kilda Marvel Stadium
Round Eleven Friday, May 28 to Sunday, May 30 STADIUM
Brisbane Lions vs. GWS GIANTS The Gabba
Collingwood vs. Geelong Cats MCG
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Hawthorn TIO Stadium
Port Adelaide vs. Fremantle Adelaide Oval
Richmond vs. Adelaide Crows MCG
St Kilda vs. North Melbourne Marvel Stadium
Sydney Swans vs. Carlton SCG
West Coast Eagles vs. Essendon Optus Stadium
Western Bulldogs vs. Melbourne Marvel Stadium
Round Twelve Friday, Jun 4 to Sunday, Jun 6 STADIUM - 9 -
Adelaide Crows vs. Collingwood Adelaide Oval
Carlton vs. West Coast Eagles MCG
Essendon vs. Richmond MCG
Fremantle vs. Western Bulldogs Optus Stadium
Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions TIO Traeger Park
St Kilda vs. Sydney Swans Marvel Stadium
Byes: Geelong Cats, Gold Coast SUNS, GWS GIANTS, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide
Round Thirteen Thursday, Jun 10 to Monday, Jun 14 STADIUM
Fremantle vs. Gold Coast SUNS Optus Stadium
Melbourne vs. Collingwood MCG
North Melbourne vs. GWS GIANTS Blundstone Arena
Port Adelaide vs. Geelong Cats Adelaide Oval
St Kilda vs. Adelaide Crows Cazaly's Stadium
Sydney Swans vs. Hawthorn SCG
Byes: Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Essendon, Richmond, West Coast Eagles, Western Bulldogs
Round Fourteen Thursday, Jun 17 to Sunday, Jun 20 STADIUM
Geelong Cats vs. Western Bulldogs GMHBA Stadium
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Port Adelaide Metricon Stadium
GWS GIANTS vs. Carlton GIANTS Stadium
Hawthorn vs. Essendon MCG
North Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions Marvel Stadium
West Coast Eagles vs. Richmond Optus Stadium
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Byes: Adelaide Crows, Collingwood, Fremantle, Melbourne, St Kilda, Sydney Swans
Round Fifteen Thursday, Jun 24 to Sunday, Jun 27 STADIUM
Brisbane Lions vs. Geelong Cats The Gabba
Carlton vs. Adelaide Crows Marvel Stadium
Collingwood vs. Fremantle Marvel Stadium
Essendon vs. Melbourne MCG
GWS GIANTS vs. Hawthorn GIANTS Stadium
North Melbourne vs. Gold Coast SUNS Blundstone Arena
Port Adelaide vs. Sydney Swans Adelaide Oval
Richmond vs. St Kilda MCG
West Coast Eagles vs. Western Bulldogs Optus Stadium
Round Sixteen Thursday, Jul 1 to Sunday, Jul 4 STADIUM
Adelaide Crows vs. Brisbane Lions Adelaide Oval
Collingwood vs. St Kilda MCG
Fremantle vs. Carlton Optus Stadium
Geelong Cats vs. Essendon GMHBA Stadium
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Richmond Metricon Stadium
Hawthorn vs. Port Adelaide Marvel Stadium
Melbourne vs. GWS GIANTS MCG
Sydney Swans vs. West Coast Eagles SCG
Western Bulldogs vs. North Melbourne Marvel Stadium
Round Seventeen Friday, Jul 9 to Sunday, Jul 11 STADIUM
Brisbane Lions vs. St Kilda The Gabba
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Carlton vs. Geelong Cats MCG
Essendon vs. Adelaide Crows Marvel Stadium
GWS GIANTS vs. Gold Coast SUNS GIANTS Stadium
Hawthorn vs. Fremantle University of Tasmania Stadium
Port Adelaide vs. Melbourne Adelaide Oval
Richmond vs. Collingwood MCG
West Coast Eagles vs. North Melbourne Optus Stadium
Western Bulldogs vs. Sydney Swans Marvel Stadium
Round Eighteen Friday, Jul 16 to Sunday, Jul 18 STADIUM
Adelaide Crows vs. West Coast Eagles Adelaide Oval
Collingwood vs. Carlton MCG
Fremantle vs. Geelong Cats Optus Stadium
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Western Bulldogs Metricon Stadium
GWS GIANTS vs. Sydney Swans GIANTS Stadium
Melbourne vs. Hawthorn MCG
North Melbourne vs. Essendon Marvel Stadium
Richmond vs. Brisbane Lions MCG
St Kilda vs. Port Adelaide Marvel Stadium
Round Nineteen Friday, Jul 23 to Sunday, Jul 25 STADIUM
Carlton vs. North Melbourne Marvel Stadium
Essendon vs. GWS GIANTS Marvel Stadium
Geelong Cats vs. Richmond MCG
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Melbourne Metricon Stadium
Hawthorn vs. Brisbane Lions MCG
Port Adelaide vs. Collingwood Adelaide Oval
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Sydney Swans vs. Fremantle SCG
West Coast Eagles vs. St Kilda Optus Stadium
Western Bulldogs vs. Adelaide Crows Mars Stadium
Round Twenty Friday, Jul 30 to Sunday, Aug 1 STADIUM
Adelaide Crows vs. Hawthorn Adelaide Oval
Brisbane Lions vs. Gold Coast SUNS The Gabba
Collingwood vs. West Coast Eagles MCG
Essendon vs. Sydney Swans Marvel Stadium
Fremantle vs. Richmond Optus Stadium
GWS GIANTS vs. Port Adelaide Manuka Oval
Melbourne vs. Western Bulldogs MCG
North Melbourne vs. Geelong Cats Blundstone Arena
St Kilda vs. Carlton Marvel Stadium
Round Twenty-One Friday, Aug 6 to Sunday, Aug 8 STADIUM
Adelaide Crows vs. Port Adelaide Adelaide Oval
Brisbane Lions vs. Fremantle The Gabba
Carlton vs. Gold Coast SUNS Marvel Stadium
Geelong Cats vs. GWS GIANTS GMHBA Stadium
Hawthorn vs. Collingwood MCG
Richmond vs. North Melbourne MCG
Sydney Swans vs. St Kilda SCG
West Coast Eagles vs. Melbourne Optus Stadium
Western Bulldogs vs. Essendon Marvel Stadium
Round Twenty-Two Friday, Aug 13 to Sunday, Aug 15 STADIUM
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Collingwood vs. Brisbane Lions Marvel Stadium
Fremantle vs. West Coast Eagles Optus Stadium
Geelong Cats vs. St Kilda GMHBA Stadium
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Essendon Metricon Stadium
GWS GIANTS vs. Richmond GIANTS Stadium
Hawthorn vs. Western Bulldogs University of Tasmania Stadium
Melbourne vs. Adelaide Crows MCG
North Melbourne vs. Sydney Swans Marvel Stadium
Port Adelaide vs. Carlton Adelaide Oval
Round Twenty-Three Friday, Aug 20 to Sunday, Aug 22 STADIUM
Adelaide Crows vs. North Melbourne Adelaide Oval
Brisbane Lions vs. West Coast Eagles The Gabba
Carlton vs. GWS GIANTS Marvel Stadium
Essendon vs. Collingwood MCG
Geelong Cats vs. Melbourne GMHBA Stadium
Richmond vs. Hawthorn MCG
St Kilda vs. Fremantle Marvel Stadium
Sydney Swans vs. Gold Coast SUNS SCG
Western Bulldogs vs. Port Adelaide Marvel Stadium