TonyK
CibbuanoAFL considering Monday night football: Demetriou
June 13th 2008 07:22
THE AFL is considering bringing back Monday night football when the league expands in the coming seasons, according to AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou.
A Gold Coast club is due to enter the competition in 2011 and a western Sydney club probably the year after, and Demetriou said the AFL was looking for times to slot in the extra matches.
"When you're trying to find or explore a new timeslot, certainly Monday night football is an option," Demetriou told radio station SEN.
"It's something that we've produced a (mock) fixture for with nine (matches per round) and it works and it also protects the six-day break.
"So we're not averse to it and I daresay our broadcasters aren't either."
Meanwhile, Demetriou expressed concern over the state of the Gabba surface.
Brisbane forward Jonathan Brown labelled the cricket pitch area in the centre as like "concrete" and blamed the surface for a knee injury to Lions small forward Scott Harding during Brisbane's 22-point win over Fremantle last weekend.
Demetriou said the AFL had unsuccessfully tried to persuade the ground's operators to follow the lead of the ground operators at the MCG, who use drop-in pitches.
"We share the views and the concerns of the Brisbane Lions," Demetriou said.
"We've made approaches to the trust that runs the stadium, we've talked about even funding drop-in cricket pitches.
"But we haven't been able to persuade them to do that, they prefer to have their cricket pitches there.
"In the ideal world it's better what we've got at the MCG, you play football in football season and hopefully you can put in drop-in pitches in cricket season."
A Gold Coast club is due to enter the competition in 2011 and a western Sydney club probably the year after, and Demetriou said the AFL was looking for times to slot in the extra matches.
"When you're trying to find or explore a new timeslot, certainly Monday night football is an option," Demetriou told radio station SEN.
"It's something that we've produced a (mock) fixture for with nine (matches per round) and it works and it also protects the six-day break.
"So we're not averse to it and I daresay our broadcasters aren't either."
Meanwhile, Demetriou expressed concern over the state of the Gabba surface.
Brisbane forward Jonathan Brown labelled the cricket pitch area in the centre as like "concrete" and blamed the surface for a knee injury to Lions small forward Scott Harding during Brisbane's 22-point win over Fremantle last weekend.
Demetriou said the AFL had unsuccessfully tried to persuade the ground's operators to follow the lead of the ground operators at the MCG, who use drop-in pitches.
"We share the views and the concerns of the Brisbane Lions," Demetriou said.
"We've made approaches to the trust that runs the stadium, we've talked about even funding drop-in cricket pitches.
"But we haven't been able to persuade them to do that, they prefer to have their cricket pitches there.
"In the ideal world it's better what we've got at the MCG, you play football in football season and hopefully you can put in drop-in pitches in cricket season."
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