At the AFL we love families. Our top executives don’t often get to see theirs but they say they love them a lot.

We also love that a family has to spend about $2,535 just to attend a game and buy some chips and those weird chicken strip things we sell.

At the AFL we also love using the concept of spending more time with a family, when we want to cover moving a staff member on because they mucked up an anti-doping investigation, although that’s just a hypothetical example.

We are therefore proud to announce that on the back of our highly successful split Round One and as part of our ongoing ‘Disdain for Fans’ Campaign, we are introducing new ‘family friendly’ start times.

First is Wednesday morning at 1:55am, which is perfect for nightshift workers and their families.

Friday night games will now start at 10:30 pm to accommodate our friends in Western Australia and to incorporate a triple episode of Better Homes and Gardens.

Saturday games in Melbourne will start at 8:30am, which should fit in nicely with school sport.

Lastly, Sunday games will continue to start at 4:40pm some weeks, then 3:20pm and then switch to 2:10pm, so that you can never really know when it will be on.

Nothing better than packing up the car with the kids or jumping on a train to see a game at Etihad Stadium at 4:40pm on a Sunday is there?

So there you have it. Our new starting times will provide the flexibility your family needs.

It’s also a great way to build the next generation of footy fans by ensuring they only see glimpse of a game on the news occasionally.

You’re welcome Footy Fans!