Fremantle and West Coast will head to Adelaide for the opening night of the new AFLX competition on Thursday February 15 at Hindmarsh Stadium.
The Dockers and Eagles will play against the Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide, Collingwood and Geelong in the new version of Australian Football that has been designed to take the traditional game from oval grounds to rectangular fields.
Fans have the opportunity to be part of history with tickets to the inaugural AFLX tournaments on sale now via X.afl.
AFLX will still contain and showcase the unique and most thrilling aspects of Australian Football in a shortened format, with seven players on the field and three on the bench.
The 2018 AFLX concept sees three cities host three tournaments across three separate days in February.
Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney will host individual tournaments featuring all 18 AFL Clubs, beginning on Thursday February 15 at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Each tournament will see six AFL clubs competing across two pool groups that culminate with the best teams competing in a tournament Grand Final.
Fans will enjoy seven matches in total at each tournament, including the Grand Final, with each match consisting of two 10-minute halves.
AFL General Manager of China and Project Manager for AFLX Dave Stevenson said fans would experience the unexpected at the upcoming AFLX tournaments.
“The 2018 AFLX tournaments promise to be a great family experience to enjoy with non-stop action exciting fans of all ages,” Mr Stevenson said.
“AFLX will provide a different experience for fans and will see plenty of action with fireworks, DJs, in game commentary, roving performers, kids and family zones and giveaways a feature at all events.”
The X in AFLX relates to the roman numeral character for the number ten which is a constant throughout the alternative version of the game.
Ten quick facts about AFLX
I. Played on a rectangular field (approx. 70m width x 110m length) with four posts at each end (as per a normal AFL field). Ground markings will showcase X as the centre square and 40m arcs.
II. Two field umpires, two boundary umpires and one goal umpire at each end of the ground.
III. Ten players per team, seven on field at all times and three on the interchange bench. No restrictions on player rotations.
IV. 10-minute quarters or halves depending on the tournament format.
V. Free kick against for last touch out of bounds.
VI. Kick-ins from behind the goal line after all scores.
VII. No marks paid for backwards kicks (except in forward 40m area).
VIII. Quarters commence with a ‘ball up’ in the centre and at least two players from each team starting inside the 40m arc.
IX. Free shot from forward 40m arc – directly in front for deliberate rushed behinds.
X. 10-point super goals when goals kicked on the full from outside the 40m arc.
FIXTURES:
Thursday February 15
6.10pm ACDT
Hindmarsh Stadium – ADELAIDE
Teams competing: Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, West Coast Eagles, Collingwood and Geelong Cats
Friday February 16
6.40pm AEDT
Etihad Stadium – MELBOURNE
Teams competing: Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, St Kilda, Hawthorn and Melbourne
Saturday February 17
4.10pm AEDT
Allianz Stadium – SYDNEY
Teams competing: Sydney Swans, GWS GIANTS, Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast SUNS, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs
TICKETS:
Adult - $15
Concession - $10
Family - $30
Kids 12 and Under – Free
CLICK HERE for more information