MATCHES in the 3.20pm AEST Sunday slot will start at 3.15pm AEST for the remainder of the season.
Games with a 3.20pm start time on Sundays are broadcast on both the Seven Network and Fox Footy and are intended to finish before 6pm, when Seven’s coverage switches to its nightly news bulletin.
But several 3.20pm games this season have concluded after 6pm, delaying Seven’s high-rating news broadcast.
After discussions with Seven, the AFL has moved 3.20pm Sunday games to 3.15pm for the rest of the season, starting with this weekend’s game between Richmond and Adelaide at the MCG.
As recently as 2019, average quarter length in the AFL sat at just above 30 minutes, which meant a total match duration of between 120 and 122 minutes.
But recent rule changes like score reviews, 6-6-6 warnings, recalled centre bounces, ruck nominations and pauses in games for injured players has led to a jump in the duration of games.
Of the 16 Sunday afternoon games on Seven so far this season, just four have finished in less than 125 minutes and four have taken more than 130 minutes.
The round 11 match between Melbourne and Sydney in the 3.20pm slot took almost 140 minutes to complete, including a 40-minute final term, and finished after 6pm.
Callum Mills looks dejected after Sydney’s loss to Narrm in round 11, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
Game length was one of the topics club assistant coaches were asked about in a recent AFL memo, where the league requested feedback on a range of issues. The AFL handpicked the assistants to act as conduits between their clubs and the league on a number of talking points in the game.
The feedback from assistant coaches is in addition to the revived AFL competition committee, an advisory panel of a select group of officials, players and coaches who will guide AFL decision-making on key aspects of the game.
This year, Greater Western Sydney CEO Dave Matthews and coach Adam Kingsley have both called for quarters to be shortened to ensure total match duration stays at around two-and-a-half hours.
“I would like to see the game just a little bit shorter. The COVID quarters (16 minutes) I thought were really good, personally I feel like it keeps the games closer,” Kingsley said in May.
“I liked the 16 plus time-on, but 18 minutes plus time-on could very well work.
“I don’t have an issue with the goal reviews and things like that as long as they make good decisions, which they do. I just think the live minutes are a bit too long.”
