AFL sets return date

AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan has confirmed the return date for the 2020 AFL season.

With the competition having been in recess since Sunday March 22, the season will resume on Thursday June 11th, with sixteen home and away rounds to be completed.

Clubs will commence training on Monday 18th May, before full contact training is allowed from the following Monday (25th May).

West Coast and Fremantle will be based on the Gold Coast for at least the first month of the resumption, having this week been granted an exemption to train in Western Australia in a full training group before heading to Queensland.

South Australian sides Adelaide and Port Adelaide will also be based in the sunshine state, but will be required to travel earlier because of current restrictions put in place by the SA government.

It means that the WA and SA clubs will play a series of fixtures against each other and both the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns, before a possible easing of restrictions sees them return home.

Players will be tested for COVID-19 twice a week, while players families will be allowed to travel with associated costs covered by the AFL.

The finals series length is set to stay at four weeks, with the season to extend in October.

McLachlan was confident that the Grand Final would remain at the MCG, but admitted there could be some hurdles with venues and other codes.

The AFL will release the first month of it's fixtures for the rescheduled season in the next ten days.

IMAGE: Herald Sun.