Time for AFL to embrace Good Friday football

The AFL has long flirted with the notion of introducing Good Friday football. And it is long overdue.

Round one this season falls on the Easter long weekend, with the first game of the 2016 kicking off on Thursday night at the MCG.

We then have a break on Friday, before the round resume on Easter Saturday.

The long tradition of not playing football on Good Friday, or working in any form goes back a long way, to a time when Australia was a more religious based society.

However, in today's day and age, our nation is a modern secular society and while it is often important to stick with tradition, in this instance it simply does not not make sense.

All other major sporting codes in the country host matches on Good Friday, with the A-League, NRL and Super Rugby all playing this Friday night.

What the AFL is doing by continuing to allow this to happen is simply giving its competitors a free kick to cash in the absence of footy.

Good Friday is a public holiday, offices are close, shopping centres are shut and the public and footy fans are crying out for something to do. The AFL can and should fill that void for footy fans.

It has the potential to be another major event in the AFL calendar each year, perhaps a blockbuster between two of the biggest clubs in the country and it would no doubt draw an enormous crowd.

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However, one of the drawbacks currently is Channel Seven's deal to broadcast the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

The Good Friday Appeal has long been associated with Channel Seven, the home of free-to-air AFL in Ausralia, and the appeal is a brilliant fundraiser aimed at raising money for the Royal Children's Hospital.

The Appeal has raised more than $291 million since it began in 1931.

While no one wants to see this great event overshadowed by a game of footy, there is a way around it.

The AFL could partner with The Good Friday Appeal to help raise money for the Royal Children's Appeal.

A portion of the ticket sales and revenue from the Good Friday match could go towards the The Good Friday Appeal, while volunteers could also collect money around the stadium.

As is the case with the other major codes in Australia, Good Friday footy is inevitable and the time is now to finally introduce it to the AFL.

Partnering with The Good Friday Appeal is the perfect way to ensure the event represents more than just another game of footy on the sporting calendar.