At a glance:

  • The AFL Commission has endorsed a return to 20-minute quarters for Season 2021.
  • A partially floating fixture will also return for next season, with the League set to lock in timeslots for only the first six rounds of the year.
  • 20-minute quarters plus time-on will also be consistent with the 2021 VFL and East Coast Second-Tier Competition.

Full-time footy is back, with the AFL committing to 20-minute quarters in 2021.

And the floating fixture will return, with the League set to lock in the timeslots for only the first six rounds of next season.

After reducing quarter lengths to 16 minutes plus time-on this year due to the condensed nature of the season following the outbreak of COVID-19, the AFL Commission has ticked off a return to normal.

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AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan had long flagged a return to 20-minute quarter lengths, something the League resisted to revert to for the 2020 AFL Finals Series.

The half-time break will consist of a 20-minute block with quarter-time and three-quarter time breaks to run six minutes.

There will be a 50-second gap following a goal to the resume of the centre restart, down from 60 seconds in 2020.

The 20-minutes plus time-on quarter lengths will also be consistent with the 2021 VFL and East Coast Second-Tier Competition.

From the start of 2021, the fixture will be scheduled fully up until round six which includes ANZAC Day.

The rest of the season's match-ups will be set, however rounds seven to 23 won't include the date, timeslots and choice of TV broadcaster.

Clubs have been informed the release of the rest of the season will be on a flexible basis in line with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with hope to give clubs at least four weeks' notice before each fixture 'drop'.

It has been planned for the rest of the season to be released in blocks of four to six rounds.

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