Every rule, in plain English.

Extra rest beside a short breakCBA-04

A five-day break needs longer breaks around it. One option is seven days before the preceding game and six days after the short-break game. The other is six days before the preceding game and seven days after the short-break game. A bye counts as the longer break.

The opponent has at most six days’ restCBA-05

When a club has a five-day break, its opponent must have a break of no more than six days.

Three rounds between a club's short breaksCBA-06

If a club has two five-day breaks, they must be at least three rounds apart.

Only one interstate trip around a short breakCBA-07

Around a five-day-break game, at most one of the two games on either side can involve interstate travel. If a bye follows the short-break game, both can be interstate.

No short break after a Perth tripCBA-08

A five-day break cannot follow a game that required travel to Perth.

Perth clubs: no short break then travelCBA-09

For West Coast and Fremantle, a five-day break cannot follow a home game in Perth unless the short-break game is also in Perth.

Three Giants home games in CanberraSM-05

Greater Western Sydney plays at least three home games at Manuka Oval each season.

The ground must be free that dayVA-01

A ground must be free on the match date: not booked for cricket, a concert or another code. We check every booking we know about. A pass means "no known conflict", not a confirmed booking.

Everyone plays at the MCGVT-03

Every club plays at least one game at the MCG each season.

At least 45 games at the MCGVT-04

At least 45 games are played at the MCG across the season, counting every game there, not just the tenants' home games.

At least 40 games at DocklandsVT-05

At least 40 games are played at Docklands across the season, counting every game there.

Darwin games are night gamesVT-08

No day or twilight games at TIO Stadium (Marrara Oval) in Darwin: night games only.

No lights, no night gamesVT-12

A ground without floodlights good enough for TV hosts day games only, never twilight or night.

One game per ground per dayVT-13

A ground hosts at most one game per day, never two in the same slot. Gather Round grounds may host two games in a day. At most twice a season, Docklands may host a day game and a night game on the same date.

Big Victorian games on separate daysDATE-BIG-CLUB-SAME-DATE

Two big Victorian match-ups cannot share a date. The clubs are Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon, Richmond, Geelong, Hawthorn and Melbourne. Exceptions are Gather Round games and Geelong home games at Kardinia Park against those clubs, except Collingwood.

Big Victorian games at the MCGBIG-CLUB-MCG

Games between two big Victorian clubs go to the MCG, never Docklands. The clubs are Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon, Richmond, Geelong, Hawthorn and Melbourne. Exceptions cover Gather Round and Geelong home games at Kardinia Park against those clubs, except Collingwood. Hawthorn may also host one such game in Tasmania per season.

Gold Coast's Darwin games back to backGC-DARWIN-BLOCK

Gold Coast’s two Darwin home games come in consecutive rounds for the club, skipping any bye. It plays in Queensland immediately before or after that block.

Ten Geelong home games at Kardinia ParkGEELONG-KARDINIA-COUNT

Geelong has exactly ten ordinary home games at Kardinia Park, plus its Easter Monday home game at the MCG.

Melbourne's Alice Springs gameMEL-TRAEGER-GAME

Melbourne's home game at Traeger Park is dated between late May and mid-July, is a day game, and is not against a big Victorian club.

Venue caps for interstate visitorsSM-CLUB-INTERSTATE-VENUE-MAX

The Victorian venue caps, applied just to home games against interstate clubs (Gather Round excluded).

Victorian venue capsSM-CLUB-VENUE-MAX

A Victorian club plays at most a set number of ordinary home games at a named ground, Gather Round excluded. Richmond, Melbourne and Collingwood are capped at Docklands; St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne are capped at the MCG.

Early Thursday nights on free TVBC-04

Every Thursday-night game in the first fifteen rounds is shown on free-to-air television.

Big occasions live on free TVBC-05

Named marquee games go live on free-to-air TV. They include Anzac Day, Anzac Eve, Dreamtime, Good Friday, Easter Monday, King’s Birthday and other designated occasions.

Pay-TV-only Saturdays early in the seasonBC-08

Early-season Saturday games are pay-TV only. This applies nationally through Round 8, in Queensland and New South Wales through Round 10, and all season in Victoria. Named marquee games are exceptions.

When local games return to live TVBC-09

Local Saturday games return to live free-to-air from Round 9 in South Australia and Western Australia. In Queensland and New South Wales, they return from Round 11. Each club also has a yearly limit on delayed games.

Every local game on free TVBC-10

In South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, every game involving a local club is available on free-to-air television, live or delayed.

Same-state clubs never clash on TVBC-11

Same-state clubs cannot have overlapping slots. This allows each club’s game to go on free TV in its home state without a clash.

Same-state clubs in different slotsVT-02

Two clubs from the same state are not scheduled in overlapping slots, so each state's local game can be shown live on free TV.

At least six Saturdays, three to twelve SundaysDATE-PRIMETIME-WEEKEND-BAND

Every club plays at least six Saturdays and between three and twelve Sundays.

Each club's own weekday rangeDATE-WEEKDAY-ENVELOPE

Each club's count of Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday games stays within its own 2023 to 2026 range, widened a little.

Double-ups: one home game eachHA-ALTERNATION

When two clubs meet twice in a season, each club hosts one of the two games.

At most three rounds without a home gameHA-AWAY-RUN-CAP

No club goes more than three rounds in a row without a listed home game. Byes and Gather Round are skipped and neither extend nor break a run.

Eleven home, eleven awayHA-BALANCE

Each club has eleven ordinary home games, eleven ordinary away games and one Gather Round appearance.

Perth clubs never travel two weeks runningRA-10

West Coast and Fremantle alternate home and away games so that neither travels interstate in consecutive rounds. A Gather Round game or a game the club hosts does not count as a trip, and a bye ends a run.

No club travels three weeks runningRA-11

No club other than the Perth pair travels interstate more than two rounds in a row.

Every state gets footy most weeksSTATE-ROUND-PRESENCE

The model limits rounds without a game in each two-club state, using the AFL’s 2023 to 2026 maximum. South Australia allows three; Queensland seven; New South Wales six. A Giants game in Canberra counts towards New South Wales. Western Australia allows seven in this release, the most the current round structure allows.

King's Birthday EveMQ-09

Carlton and Essendon play at the MCG on the Sunday night before the King's Birthday holiday. The host alternates; Carlton hosts in 2027.

Port Adelaide's Anzac tribute gameMQ-10

Port Adelaide hosts a game at Adelaide Oval in the Anzac round, in memory of Peter Badcoe VC. The opponent changes each year.

Fremantle's Len Hall TributeMQ-11

Fremantle hosts its Len Hall Tribute game at Perth Stadium in the Anzac round. The opponent changes each year.

Six double-ups eachFS-03

Each club plays six opponents a second time. The number is set each season; it has been six since 2023.

Twenty-three games eachFS-04

Each club plays 23 home-and-away games: 17 single meetings plus six double-ups.

Twenty-four rounds in the seasonFS-05

The season has 24 rounds and no Opening Round. (The catalogue allows between 23 and 25.)

One bye each, mid-seasonFS-06

Every club has exactly one bye, in Rounds 12 to 16.

Derbies are played twiceOH-07

The Adelaide, Queensland, Perth and Sydney derby pairs always meet twice. Each is one of the clubs’ double-ups.

Opening Round involves only some clubsOR-01

If there is an Opening Round, only some of the eighteen clubs play in it.

Opening Round clubs get an extra byeOR-02

Clubs that play in an Opening Round get a second bye during the bye window.

Opening Round runs Thursday to SundayOR-03

An Opening Round spans four days, like a normal round.

Games fixed in advance stay putRA-01

Games that are fixed to a round before the solve starts stay in that round.

Six rounds between the two meetingsRA-02

When two clubs meet twice, at least six rounds separate the two games.

No return games before mid-seasonRA-05

A pair's second meeting cannot come before Round 11. The 2027 model is stricter and puts the earliest return game in Round 13.

Final round is for return games onlyRA-06

If two clubs meet only once in the season, that game is not in the last round.

Derbies are always double-upsWR-02

The Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Queensland derbies are always among the games played twice.

Grand Final rematch is a double-upWR-04

Last season's Grand Final pair always meet twice. For 2027 that is Fremantle and Brisbane Lions.

Every game has one dateDATE-ASSIGN-01

Every game gets exactly one date, inside its round, on a weekday the calendar allows, matching its slot's weekday.

Games per dayDATE-DAY-CAPACITY

The number of games on any one day stays within a set limit for that weekday.

Same-state derbies per dayDATE-MARKET-CAPACITY

The number of games on one day between two clubs from the same state stays within a set limit for that weekday.

Every game has one roundASSIGN-01

Every game is placed in exactly one round.

One game per club per roundASSIGN-02

No club plays more than once in a round.

Banned double-up pairsforbidden_pairs

Any pairs the season settings forbid as double-ups are excluded. Both 2027 settings declare an empty list: no pair is banned.

Every game has one groundOPT-01

Every game is given exactly one ground.