The AFL's floating fixture between Round 16 and 24 has quickly become a point of contention with the fans, the game's "biggest stakeholders".
Following COVID-19, the league increased its last round mystery to the back third, holding off on revealing the details of the last eight - and now nine - matches to complete the season.
As it stands, we are heading into Round 9 of the 2025 campaign, and information on dates and times for games played from late June onwards has yet to be disclosed.
AFL Fans Association vice-president Justin Leckie says this has become a problem among supporters, with recent surveys wholeheartedly against the floating fixture, given its difficulty in planning ahead.
"There's a myriad of fan wants and needs in the game," Leckie told Zero Hanger.
"I think the big one most people are upset about is the floating fixture not being announced before the season, but even at this stage of the season.
"At the very least, (they wanted) earlier advice on when those remaining rounds would occur.
"Fans still don't know what day to travel, what accommodation they need, what family or work commitments they have to make.
"Our annual survey last year showed 85 per cent were significantly concerned about the floating fixture.
"So, floating fixtures are big concerns for the fans at the moment."
Leckie suggested that if the AFL was steadfast on keeping the floating fixtures, they could release the back half of the schedule in two parts, ensuring that at least the majority of the campaign would be locked in much earlier.
But the league's silence in this matter is the "frustrating" aspect of the saga, rather than the decision that is being made by the power brokers.
"Being silent or not letting the fans understand the reasons behind certain decisions really frustrates them," Leckie said.
"I think a little bit more clarification or transparency on some issues could actually bring along fans on the decision journey and get them on board.
"We are the biggest stakeholders in the game."
It is expected that Rounds 16-23 will be released next week.
The AFL Fans Association vice-president did stop to appreciate CEO Andrew Dillon's efforts in committing to listening to the fans' qualms and issues they face, saying he is the only boss to meet with the group.
"To Andrew Dillon's credit, we'd never met with previous CEOs of the AFL," Leckie said.
"And Andrew has made himself available since he became CEO, so we see it as a step in the right direction overall."
Leckie also revealed that affordability, umpiring consistency, and access to grand final tickets are repeated issues among the fans.
Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly raised the issue about access to the last Saturday in September when the Pies faced Brisbane in 2023.
Clubs were allocated 17,000 tickets, but Kelly demanded an uptick to 20,000 after supporters were left frustrated.
Multiple Collingwood supporters at the time either missed out on tickets despite holding priority 1 memberships or were not given their guaranteed seats.
The AFL, in a bid to improve the situation, increased competing club members' allocation to 35,000 (17,500 each), coming from AFL corporate and premium hospitality allocations.
