VFL/AFL pre-season competition

The Night Series had been a competition featuring VFL, SANFL, WAFL and minor states representative teams which had been staged partly in the pre-season and partly during the premiership season, generally finishing in July; but, it had reduced in size and importance until 1987, when only VFL teams were involved and the competition was finished by the end of April.The format from that point was: After 2013, the competitive aspect of the preseason was abandoned altogether, and replaced with a series of standalone practice matches over several weeks prior to the home-and-away season, featuring no ranking or overall winner.By the 2021 pre-season, these matches were reduced to a single weekend, principally due to changing border restrictions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] Ultimately, however, this offer did not eventuate, as two separate clubs, Carlton and Geelong, won the 2007 NAB Cup and 2007 premiership, respectively, and the incentive was discontinued in future seasons.The competition's grand final could draw more than 60,000 spectators to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and usually drew more than 40,000 to Docklands Stadium or Football Park (both of which have a capacity of around 55,000) A lightning premiership was held for the only time in the modern era in 1996 – the centenary season of the AFL.The game trialled a number of highly experimental rules, including three points awarded both for deliberate rushed behinds and balls which hit the goalposts, and timekeepers not blowing the siren if scores were tied.It provided eliminated teams with match practice before the main premiership season and brought the game to fans in remote areas while gauging interest in new markets.This required surfaces that prevent injury to players, spectator facilities including grandstand seating, and adequate lights for night matches.
2007 NAB Cup trophy won by the Carlton Football Club
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