Australian Football League pre-season competition

The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian Football League (AFL) premiership season. It is currently a four round competition held before the start of the premiership season, involving the 17 AFL clubs and Greater Western Sydney (which is due to enter the AFL for the 2012 season).

Current Format

Prior to 2011, the competition had been played as a simple sixteen-team knockout tournament; however, the expansion of the league to seventeen teams (and eighteen for 2012) forced a change of format. Under the current format, the first round sees the eighteen teams divided into six pools of three teams; each pool then plays a round robin of half-length games played on a single night. The winner of each pool, and the two teams with the next-best records, then progress to an eight-team knockout tournament.

Most games and the final are night matches. Normal games are typically played slightly short of full length (quarters lasting 17½ or 18 minutes plus time on instead of the normal 20), and with an extended interchange bench of six or eight players to offer less physically demanding conditions for the pre-season games.

Teams which have been eliminated from the preseason competition play practice matches against each other. These practice matches are currently known as the 'NAB Challenge', and are often played outside the major capital cities.

Particularly in the 21st century, the pre-season competition has been used as a location to trial new rule changes before they are introduced into the premiership season.

History

The current pre-season competition has its origins in a post-season competition which began in 1956 as the VFL Night Premiership. The Night Series was originally contested by the eight teams that missed the VFL finals. After a hiatus, the Night Series returned in a completely new format, as a mid-season competition with some pre-season games, and able to be contested by teams from outside the VFL. Eventually, as this format fell out of favour, the entire competition was switched to the pre-season.

As such, even though there are three completely different eras of the Night Series/Pre-Season, all three formats are considered to be historically equivalent; that is, a team will usually speak of its night premierships and pre-season premierships collectively, despite the widely different formats under which they were won. In all three formats, the night or pre-season premiership is considered significantly less prestigious than the main competition premiership.

1956–1971: First Night Series (post-season)

The Night Premiership was first instituted in 1956, contested in September as a three round knock-out tournament amongst the eight VFL teams who did not make the final four. Games were played at the Lake Oval, Albert Park, then the home ground of South Melbourne, as it was the only ground equipped to host night games. Despite the fact that not all VFL teams participated, the first season's average crowd was 20,000 for the seven matches played, while a crowd of 33,120 watched the first night Grand Final.

As a once-off in 1957, teams which contested the VFL finals entered the Night Series after they were eliminated from the VFL premiership race. This was ultimately not successful, and the VFL elected to return to the original format in 1958.

The format was based upon a similar post-season competition which began in the SANFL in 1954.^[1]

1972–1976: No competition

In 1972, the VFL switched from a final four to a final five playoff system. With only seven teams available to contest it, the Night Premiership ended.

1977–1987: Second Night Series

The Night Series was revived in 1977 using a different format, with games played under floodlights at VFL Park. Games were televised midweek with some played in the pre-season and the rest played during the home-and-away season. The tournament was largely a knock-out format but featured qualifying rounds, lucky losers and first round byes in various years (see below).

From 1978 until 1986 the tournament included non-Victorian based clubs: the ten SANFL teams, the eight WAFL teams, and state representative teams from Tasmania, New South Wales, the A.C.T. and Queensland. However, the Victorian teams dominated, and only three non-VFL teams ever reached Night Series semi-finals (East Perth 1979, Claremont 1980, North Adelaide 1986); none made it through to the Grand Final.

In 1987 the combined pre-season/mid-season format reverted to only the VFL teams – including newcomers Brisbane and West Coast – taking part.

Year	Teams	VFL	SANFL	WAFL	State
1977	12	All 12	–	–	–
1978	13	All 12	–	–	Tasmania
1979	23	All 12	–	All 8	Tasmania, N.S.W., A.C.T.
1980	34	All 12	All 10	All 8	Tasmania, N.S.W., A.C.T., Queensland
1981	34	All 12	All 10	All 8	Tasmania, N.S.W., A.C.T., Queensland
1982	18	All 12	Glenelg, Norwood, Port Adelaide	Claremont, South Fremantle, Swan Districts	–
1983	17	All 12	Glenelg, Norwood	Claremont, West Perth	Tasmania
1984	17	All 12	Sturt, West Adelaide	Claremont, South Fremantle	Queensland
1985	17	All 12	Norwood, Port Adelaide	East Fremantle, Swan Districts	Queensland
1986	14	All 12	Glenelg, North Adelaide	–	–
1987	14	All 14	–	–	–

2007 NAB Cup trophy, won by the Carlton Football Club.

1988–present: Pre-season cup

In 1988 the competition moved entirely to the pre-season and winning teams subsequently became known as the "pre-season premiers".

In 1992 the competition introduced the Michael Tuck Medal for the best player in the grand final.

Between 1988 and 2010 (except for between 2000 and 2002) it was run as a knock-out tournament where winning teams move through to the next round and losing teams are eliminated. During 2000–2002 a round-robin format was trialled. The sixteen teams were divided into groups of four and played their round robin matches over three weeks. The winner of each group then progressed to the semi-final stage of the competition.

In 2011, with the addition of the Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney Giants, first round of the NAB Cup was changed to a lightning-match round-robin, where groups of three teams compete against each other in half-length matches on the same night. The winners of each of the six groups, and the two teams with the next best records, advanced to an eight-team knock-out tournament of full-length games.

Under the current knock-out format, eliminated teams continue their preparation for the Premiership season via the "Regional Challenge" series of practice matches (see below).

Evolution of the series

1957

The VFL Final four entered the night competition when they were eliminated from the premiership – the only year this took place. South Melbourne knocked out Carlton (4th) and Essendon (2nd) on their way to back-to-back night premierships. Footscray eliminated Hawthorn (3rd) and Melbourne (VFL Premiers) before being defeated in the semi-final stage.

1964

Footscray won their second straight night premiership.

1966

North Melbourne won their second straight night premiership.

1969

Hawthorn became the fourth team to win back-to-back night premierships.

1971

Melbourne won the final night premiership of the era. The series was disbanded the following year due to the introduction of the final five in the premiership competition.

1976

The NFL's 12-team Wills Cup competition was played under lights in Adelaide. A round-robin format involved four groups of three teams. The four group winners advanced to the knockout semi-final and final. Teams involved were: (VFL) Carlton, Footscray, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Richmond; (SANFL) Glenelg, Norwood, Port Adelaide, Sturt; (WAFL) South Fremantle, Swan Districts, West Perth. Won by Hawthorn, the success of this series inspired the VFL to set up their own competition in 1977.

1977

VFL Night Series relaunched. First two matches played under lights at Lake Oval while the construction of light towers at VFL Park was completed. St Kilda and North Melbourne advanced to the quarter finals as the highest scoring first round losers.

1978

The 1977 winner, Hawthorn, received a first round bye. Geelong advanced to the quarter finals with the lowest first round losing margin (1 point). They eventually bowed out in the semi-final stage. Tasmania – featuring legendary full forward, Peter Hudson – became the first non-VFL team to take part in the series.

1979

The format changed with the initial Round of 12 being expanded into two qualifying rounds. Round 1 of qualifying featured the VFL teams that finished 6th–12th in the premiership in 1978; the WAFL teams finishing 4th–8th in 1978 and the two lowest ranked state teams of 1978 (NSW and Tasmania).

Round 2 of qualifying involved the VFL's top five of 1978 plus the five VFL teams that progressed through round 1; the WAFL's top three of 1978 plus their two surviving qualifiers and the top ranked state team of 1978 (ACT).

By the quarter finals 6 VFL and 2 WAFL teams remained. This was cut to 3 VFL teams and 1 WAFL team at the semi-final stage. The final was won by Collingwood (VFL 3rd seed) over Hawthorn (VFL 1st seed).

1980

The inclusion of the 10 SANFL clubs saw a third round added to the preliminary stages. Round 1 of qualifying featured the VFL teams that finished 7th–12th in 1979; the SANFL teams that finished 3rd–10th in 1979; the WAFL teams that finished 3rd–8th in 1979; plus a playoff between the four minor states (Queensland d. Tasmania / NSW d. ACT).

Round 2 of qualifying involved all six VFL teams that survived round 1; the two surviving SANFL teams; the two surviving WAFL teams and the two remaining minor state teams (Queensland & NSW).

In round 3 the VFL's top six of 1979 joined their four surviving qualifiers from rounds 1 and 2; the SANFL's top two of 1979 joined their sole qualifier and the WAFL's top two joined their remaining qualifier.

As with the previous championships, 6 VFL and 2 WAFL teams progressed to the quarter finals. As before, 3 VFL teams and 1 WAFL team made it to the semi-final stage. The final was won by North Melbourne (VFL 2nd seed) over Collingwood (VFL 3rd seed).

1981

The format was modified further this season. Round 1 of qualifying saw the VFL teams that finished 7th–12th in 1980 face off – the three winners advanced directly to the 3rd round, the highest placed loser (Footscray) moved to a 2nd round playoff against the remaining minor states team and the two lowest-ranked losing teams were eliminated.

All 10 SANFL teams locked horns with the biggest winner (South Adelaide) advancing directly to the 3rd round, the other winners moved to the 2nd round and the losing teams were eliminated. Things were slightly less complicated for the 8 WAFL teams – the four winners advanced to the 2nd round, the losers were eliminated. The four minor state teams also played off with Tasmania and the ACT proceeding to the 2nd round.

Round 2 featured matches between four SANFL teams, the winners joining South Adelaide in the next round. The four remaining WAFL teams played each other with the two winners and the highest-ranked loser (East Fremantle) advancing to the third round. The two remaining minor state teams clashed, with the winner (ACT) taking on Footscray for the right to advance.

Round 3 saw the introduction of the VFL's top six from 1981 alongside the four surviving VFL teams. They eliminated the three remaining SANFL teams and the last three WAFL teams.

This meant the finals were an all-VFL affair with Essendon (VFL 7th seed) eventually claiming the title from Carlton (VFL 4th seed).

1982

The Night Series was streamlined with only the top three SANFL and WAFL teams joining the 12 VFL sides in the competition. The SANFL and WAFL top teams entered the main draw directly, whilst their 2nd and 3rd placed teams played qualifying matches for the remaining two spots. The minor state teams were moved to a separate competition named the Escort Shield.

The St Kilda v Sydney quarter final scheduled for 22 June was moved forward a fortnight as the two teams were due to meet in the premiership competition on the 20th. This meant Richmond v Swan Districts was pushed back a fortnight from 8 June.

In protest, Swan Districts coach John Todd sent a team of colts and reserves players instead of his senior line-up. His protest backfired when the young squad lost by a record margin of 186 points; the AFC later banned Swan Districts from the competition for two years.

1983

Further changes meant the SANFL and WAFL's top two teams entered the competition directly. Due to the aforementioned ban, on the WAFL side of the draw Swan Districts (1st) were replaced by West Perth (3rd).

A qualifying match was introduced giving the winner of the previous season's Escort Shield a chance to enter the main draw by defeating the VFL's last place team of the previous year. Tasmania (1982 Escort Shield winner) took on Footscray (1982 VFL 12th) but was unable to qualify, losing by 108 points at North Hobart Oval.

1984

For the first time in this era the format remained unchanged. Swan Districts (WAFL 1st) remained ineligible and were replaced by South Fremantle (WAFL 3rd). Queensland (1983 Escort Shield winner) took on St Kilda (1983 VFL 12th) but fell short of the main draw by just 7 points.

The only fixture change saw the Fitzroy v Sydney 1st round match moved to 22 May after a flight delay resulted in the Swans arriving late for the original clash on 17 April.

1985

Swan Districts' ban expired, meaning they could finally claim their spot in the competition. However, their return was short-lived, suffering a 91 point thrashing in their Round 1 encounter with Fitzroy.

St Kilda (1984 VFL 12th) again survived a qualification match against Queensland (1984 Escort Shield winner), this time getting home by a far more comfortable margin of 60 points.

1986

More changes with the WAFL no longer taking part, leaving the SANFL's top two teams as the only interstate sides involved in the competition. The qualifying match between the Escort Shield winner and the VFL's last-placed team was also scrapped.

Subsequently, the "lucky loser" spot returned allowing the team with the lowest losing margin in the 1st round to advance to the Quarter Finals. However, at the end of the 1st round Sydney and Collingwood both qualified with a lowest losing margin of 26 points. A lucky loser playoff, held on 22 April, resulted in a Collingwood victory by 37 points and a trip to the next round.

North Adelaide became the last of only three interstate sides to make the semi-finals in this era; the Roosters finally bowing out to Hawthorn to the tune of 90 points.

1987

The SANFL teams followed the lead of their WAFL counterparts the year before and ended all involvement with the series.

This marked the first time since 1977 the competition had been contested solely by VFL teams. Fledgling outfits the Brisbane Bears and West Coast Eagles made their VFL debuts, the Bears losing to Sydney in Round 1 while the Eagles sent shockwaves through the competition by reaching the semi-final stage. Fitzroy advanced to the quarter-finals as the lucky loser after an 11 point loss to Carlton.

Melbourne claimed the last of the mid-season night premierships with a stirring 4 point upset of Essendon on 28 April – the Dees' first silverware since their 1971 night triumph.

1988

The start of the modern era, this was the first of the night premierships to be played entirely in the pre-season. The lucky loser spot was scrapped with both Grand Finalists from the 1987 competition granted a first round bye instead. Hawthorn went on to claim the first pre-season cup with a thrilling 3 point victory over Geelong.

1989

The reigning Grand Finalists, Geelong and Hawthorn received a first round bye, the Cats progressing to their second Cup final in a row. This time, however, it was Melbourne denying them the title as the Demons claimed a 9 point victory – their second flag in three years.

1990

The Demons and Cats received the first round bye, but it was West Coast who received the luckiest break. After losing to Essendon by 3 points, the Eagles received another chance in the first round when Brisbane withdrew from the competition due to financial problems and a player's strike. West Coast stepped in to play North Melbourne on 21 February but their luck ended there, going down to the Kangaroos by just 2 points.

Essendon vs Fitzroy (Feb.28) was the first VFL/AFL match to be decided using extra-time – the Bombers getting home by a goal in overtime then winning their next two matches to claim the title.

1991

The addition of Adelaide to the AFL increased the participating teams to 15, meaning a first round bye was now only awarded to the reigning pre-season premier, and forcing the runner-up to enter the fray in the 1st round.

1992

Collingwood and West Coast played the first pre-season cup match in Darwin on 9 February. Reigning premier Hawthorn received a first round bye, helping them on their way to back-to-back pre-season premierships; the Hawks overcame the surprise Grand Finalist Fitzroy by 65 points.

1993

Problems with new turf at Waverley Park forced the relocation of three matches – Melbourne v Collingwood (Feb.17) was moved to Princes Park, whilst Essendon v Brisbane (Feb.27) and Footscray v Fitzroy (Feb.28) were moved to Kardinia Park.

Reigning premier Hawthorn received a first round bye but it was Essendon who clinched the trophy with a 23 point triumph over Richmond. A record night series/pre-season Grand Final crowd of 75,533 fans jammed into Waverley Park for the match.

1994

Reigning premier Essendon received a first round bye and took full advantage, winning back-to-back titles with a 34 point defeat of Adelaide in the final.

1995

The addition of Fremantle to the AFL raised the number of teams to 16, thus removing the need for a bye in the opening round. The Dockers made their debut at Fremantle Oval on 24 February but it was St Kilda claiming victory with a 35 point win over the new team.

1996

Opening round matches were held in Adelaide, Melbourne, Darwin, Canberra and Brisbane, with St Kilda progressing to win their first pre-season final.

Prior to the start of the Cup competition, the first Lightning Premiership competition since 1953 was held at Waverley Park in early February to launch the AFL's centenary season. All games were played over two 17.5 minute halves and Essendon beat Brisbane in the final.

1997

The Grand Final was held at the MCG to capitalise on Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne – the first title match to be played away from Lake Oval/Waverley Park. A near-record crowd of 74,786 watched Carlton romp home by 57 points against a disappointing Geelong.

1998

Pre-Season football went international for the first time with Brisbane defeating Fremantle in Cape Town, South Africa (Feb.22) followed by a young Melbourne team upsetting Sydney in Wellington, New Zealand (Mar.1).

1999–2000

After criticism that the knock-out format limited the preparation of the losing teams, a round-robin format was introduced. The sixteen teams were split into groups of four, each playing three pool matches with the winner of each group advancing to the knockout semi-final stage. The public reaction to the change was mixed. With the pool games becoming glor,ified practice matches the atmosphere at some of these early games was noticeably flat compared to previous years.

In other developments Carlton and Collingwood played the earliest season-opener in VFL/AFL history – a one-off New Year's Eve match played 31 December 1999 at the MCG. A sparse crowd watched the Blues get home by 88 points in the "Millennium Challenge", with a young Brendan Fevola starring with 12 goals, the most ever in a pre-season/night series match. A second match was played in New Zealand following the initial foray overseas in 1998, the Western Bulldogs defeating Hawthorn by 47 points in Wellington. The 2000 Ansett Cup also featured the last matches played at Waverley Park prior to the launch of the new Docklands Stadium.

2001

History was made as Port Adelaide took on Brisbane in the first VFL/AFL Grand Final played outside Victoria. It also marked the first Grand Final between two non-Victorian clubs in the League's history. In front of their home crowd at Football Park, the Power romped home by a record margin of 85 points.

The same two teams would play in the 2004 AFL Grand Final, with the Power also winning.

2003

The competition reverted to a knockout format and the "super goal" was introduced. Any goal kicked from outside the 50 metre line (or from a 50 metre penalty awarded outside the line) was now worth 9 points. Additionally, rushed behinds were worth 3 points in a rule designed to deter backmen who used the goals as an "out" when under defensive pressure. Adelaide won the trophy against Collingwood at the Telstra Dome.

2006

A new rule was introduced to determine the venue of the pre-season Grand Final. The team scoring the most goals in the first three rounds would host the title match. If two teams were tied after the semi-finals the number of super goals kicked would act as a tie-breaker.

This followed debate over Port Adelaide (2002 vs Richmond), Adelaide (2003 vs Collingwood) and West Coast (2005 vs Carlton) having to play the Grand Final at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne despite a superior record in that year's tournament to their opponent.

The new rule allowed the high-scoring Adelaide team to host the 2006 final at Football Park against Geelong. However, the Cats clinched the title on the road by 8 points.

2008

A fourth international match took place with Adelaide defeating Collingwood by 81 points at a remodelled polo ground in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Following North Melbourne's decision not to relocate to the Gold Coast, the AFL altered the pre-season fixture; Essendon took North Melbourne's place at Carrara against Brisbane, meaning the Kangaroos had to play the Western Bulldogs in Darwin instead.

2011

As the league expanded to eighteen teams, the first round of the tournament was adapted to a series of six round-robin tournaments, each featuring three teams playing half-length matches on a single night. The winner of each pool, and the two teams with the next-best records, then progressed to an eight-team knock-out tournament.

New rule trials

The pre-season competition has been a place where the AFL has trialled new rules. The NAB Cup has the intentions of being modern and promoting a fast-paced pre-season competition.

Most of the rules are included as a trial to determine their appropriateness for the regular season, with the obvious exception of the Supergoal. However, the shortness of the pre-season makes it difficult for the AFL to evaluate how coaches will tactically handle rule-changes it makes.

New rules introduced/trialled include:

2003

• Nine points for a goal kicked from outside of the 50 metre arc, known as a Super Goal.
• Three points for a deliberate rushed behind.

2005

• After a behind is scored, no requirement to wait for the goal umpires to wave their flags before kicking out .
• Extra players on the interchange bench, although this is intended mainly so that coaches can try extra players, and ensure that none are over-worked, during the pre-season.
• A larger centre circle.
• 4 field umpires
• Umpires coming in 10m from the boundary line to throw in the ball.
• Play on if the ball hits the goal post and bounces back into the field of play.

2006

• Play on called for backward kicks, except when that kick takes place within the attacking team's forward 50m.

2007

• Video replay umpire for goals. Ability for goal umpire decisions to be overruled by video umpire.
• All nine umpires able to pay free kicks (includes boundary and goal umpires) (Trialled only in Melbourne vs Hawthorn Round 1 NAB Cup 2007)
• Play on called for backward kicks, only in the defensive half of the field.
• Kick must travel 20m to be paid a mark.

2008

• Eight players on the interchange bench, only 16 interchanges permitted each quarter.
• 2.5m x 6.5m "no-go" area around the centre bounce, where players are prohibited before and during the bounce until the umpire clears the area.
• Centre bounces only at the start of a quarter and after goals, ball is thrown up otherwise.

2009

• A line going through middle of ground
• Kick must go 20 metres for a mark
• If the ball is hand-passed or kicked for a rushed behind the opposition receives a free kick (this rule was later introduced in the 2009 AFL season)

2010

• Players can determine if there is an advantage in play
• 18 minute quarters

2011

• A Super Goal is no longer awarded when a 50m penalty moves a set shot from outside 50m to inside 50m; instead, the player either chooses to take a nine-point shot from the 50m line, or a six-point shot from inside 50m.^[2]

See AFL for more

Naming rights sponsors

• Golden Fleece Night Premiership (1965–69)
• Radiant Night Premiership (1970)
• Heinz Night Premiership (1971)
• Amco-Herald Cup (1977–78)
• Escort Championships (1979–82)
• Sterling Cup (1983–84)
• Foster's Football Cup (1985–86)
• National Panasonic Cup (1987)
• Panasonic Cup (1988–89)
• Foster's Cup (1990–94)
• Ansett Australia Cup (1995–2001)
• Wizard Home Loans Cup (2002–05)
• NAB Cup (2006–present)

A "lightning premiership" (sponsored by Coca-Cola) was also held in 1996 (see below).

Notes:

– The competition sponsor for 1979–1984 was actually the cigarette manufacturer W.D. & H.O. Wills – "Escort" and "Sterling" were brand names used by the company during this period.

– The 1995–2001 competitions were officially named the "Ansett Australia Cup" but are more commonly referred to as the "Ansett Cup".

– Similarly, the 2002–2005 competitions were officially named the "Wizard Home Loans Cup" but are usually referred to as the "Wizard Cup".

– National Australia Bank currently hold naming rights for the competition until 2010, renaming it the "NAB Cup".

AFL pre-season cup winners

See also: List of Australian Football League pre-season and night series premiers

(Since 1990)

Year	Winner	Runner-up
1990	Essendon	North Melbourne
1991	Hawthorn	North Melbourne
1992	Hawthorn	Fitzroy
1993	Essendon	Richmond
1994	Essendon	Adelaide
1995	North Melbourne	Adelaide
1996	St Kilda	Carlton
1997	Carlton	Geelong
1998	North Melbourne	St Kilda
1999	Hawthorn	Port Adelaide
2000	Essendon	North Melbourne
2001	Port Adelaide	Brisbane Lions
2002	Port Adelaide	Richmond
2003	Adelaide	Collingwood
2004	St Kilda	Geelong
2005	Carlton	West Coast
2006	Geelong	Adelaide
2007	Carlton	Brisbane Lions
2008	St Kilda	Adelaide
2009	Geelong	Collingwood
2010	Western Bulldogs	St Kilda
2011	Collingwood	Essendon

Pre-season/night and premiership "double"

The night/preseason and premiership double has only been achieved seven times to date: twice in the second Night Series era (1977–1987) and five times in the Pre-Season era (1988-pres).

• Essendon – Night: 1984; Pre-season: 1993, 2000
• Hawthorn – Night: 1986; Pre-season: 1988, 1991
• Geelong – Pre-season: 2009

The double could not be achieved during the first Night Series era (1956–1971) because only the teams who failed to reach the league finals competed in that era.

In 2007, any team achieving the pre-season/league premiership double would receive $1 million in bonus prize money from the competition sponsors, the National Australia Bank (see below). This offer was removed the next season.

Trophy

2007 NAB Cup trophy won by the Carlton Football Club

The design of the trophy for the pre-season competition has varied greatly over the years.

When it was the Wizard Home Loans Cup it was affectionately known by fans as the "Wizard Wok" due to the shape of it being like a wok.

More recently it has taken the more traditional trophy shape.

Monetary prize

Prize money is awarded to the winning club.

This is awarded by the National Australia Bank, the current sponsors of the competition.

The AFL announced prior to the 2007 season that if a club could win both the pre-season cup and premiership in the same season, that club would receive a bonus $1 million. Half would be distributed among the players and the other half going to the club.^[3] This offer was taken off the table the following year.

Recent attendances

See List of Australian Football League night premiers for Grand Final crowds.

Although many clubs and coaches (especially the wealthier clubs) do not take the pre-season competition seriously and use the competition as a chance to test young and inexperienced players, the NAB Cup format has proven quite popular with spectators.

Season	Total Attendance	Matches	Average
2010	227,481	15	15,165
2009	282,585	15	18,839
2008	244,103	15	16,274
2007	246,321	15	16,421
2006	235,980	15	15,732
2005	307,181	15	20,479

Other pre-season competitions

Lightning Premiership

Main article: 1996 AFL Lightning Premiership

The Lightning Premiership was held for the only time in the modern era in 1996 – the Centenary Season of the AFL. It was a knock-out competition played from Friday, 9 February until Sunday, 11 February, with four games each evening at Waverley Park, each consisting of two 17.5 minute halves.

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. However, the rule which altered play most significantly was the ball not being thrown in from the boundary line after travelling out of bounds, a free kick being awarded instead against the last team to touch the ball. Essendon won the title defeating Brisbane by 17 points in the Grand Final.

Previous VFL/AFL Lightning Premierships were held in:

• 1940 – won by St Kilda (the Saints' first VFL/AFL trophy)
• 1941 – won by Collingwood
• 1943 – won by Essendon
• 1951 – won by Collingwood
• 1952 – won by Melbourne
• 1953 – won by Richmond

The Lightning Premiership match format is very close to the format currently seen in the first round of the expanded eighteen-team pre-season; in fact, the half-length format is often referred to as Lightning Football.

NAB Challenge

Since 2003, the AFL has run a series of pre-season practice matches called the "Regional Challenge" or "NAB Challenge" for clubs that are eliminated from the main pre-season cup competition.

The AFL has several aims of the series. It provide eliminated teams with match practice before the main premiership season and brings the game to fans in remote areas and can gauge interest in new markets.

Venues are limited to those that are considered AFL standard. This requires surfaces that prevent injury to players, spectator facilities including grandstand seating and adequate lights for night matches. Many of the matches in this series are still played at current AFL and former AFL metropolitan venues, particularly since 2007 when the Victorian drought made many regional grounds in Victoria either unavailable or unsuitable for AFL matches.

Although the games are informal and there is no actual winner or prize, they have attracted a large amount of interest in regional areas and grown in popularity.

While attendances for these matches are sometimes published in the media and the AFL carries match reports on all matches, the AFL does not always publish attendance for these matches as the attendances are quite low by AFL standards. In 2005, the total Regional Challenge attendance was 117,552, up from 87,000 in 2004 and 76,000 in 2003.

This list of sports fixtures or results is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Year	Date	City	State/Territory	Teams / Score	Venue	Attendance
2009	14 March	Bunbury	Western Australia	Fremantle 20.6 (126) defeated Carlton 12.11 (83)	Hands Oval
2009	14 March	Melbourne	Victoria	Western Bulldogs 14.17 (101) defeated Melbourne 10.3 (63)	Casey Fields	2,500
2009	13 March	Bendigo	Victoria	North Melbourne 17.15 (117) defeated Essendon 15.10 (100)	Queen Elizabeth Oval	2,500
2009	7 March	Sydney	New South Wales	Sydney 16.12 (108) defeated Western Bulldogs 12.9 (81)	Bruce Purser Reserve	3,500
2009	7 March	Berri	South Australia	Adelaide 15.10 (100) defeated Hawthorn 5.3 (33)	Berri Oval	7,200
2009	6 March	Shepparton	Victoria	St.Kilda 16.13 (109) defeated Richmond 9.3 (57)	Deakin Reserve	7,000
2009	6 March	Cairns	Queensland	Melbourne 11.7 (73) defeated Brisbane 4.12 (36)	Cazaly Stadium	4,000
2009	28 February	Canberra	Australian Capital Territory	North Melbourne 23.11 (149) defeated Fremantle 8.4 (52)	Manuka Oval	1,661
2009	27 February	Alice Springs	Northern Territory	Adelaide 15.5 (95) defeated West Coast 12.13 (85)	Traeger Park
2008	29 February	Narrandera	New South Wales	Richmond 17.11 (113) defeated Sydney 13.10 (88)[4]	Narrandera Sports Ground	8,296
2008		Noarlunga	South Australia
2008		Albany	Western Australia			8,000
2008		Alice Springs	Northern Territory		Traeger Park	6,000
2008	2 March	Bendigo	Victoria	Western Bulldogs 14.9 (93) defeated Melbourne 9.9 (63)1	Queen Elizabeth Oval	7,000[5]
2008		Shepparton	Victoria	Collingwood 16.12 (108) defeated Hawthorn 13.12 (90)	Deakin Reserve
2008		Casey	Victoria		Casey Fields
2008		Carlton	Victoria		Princes Park	1,500
2008		Canberra	Australian Capital Territory		Manuka Oval	2,264
2008		Cairns	Queensland		Cazaly's Stadium	4,134
2008	29 February	Gold Coast	Queensland	Brisbane Lions 13.14 (92) defeated Geelong Cats 7.10 (52)	Carrara Stadium	4,134[6]
2007	9 March	Narrandera	New South Wales	Sydney 19.9 (123) defeated Collingwood 10.7 (67)[7]	Narrandera Sports Ground	10,979
2007	9 March	Alice Springs	Northern Territory	West Coast 12.12 (84) defeated Adelaide 11.11 (77)	Traeger Park	11,000
2007	3 March	Mount Gambier	South Australia	Adelaide 14.16 (100) defeated Melbourne 6.8 (44)	Blue Lake Sports Park	5,471
2007		Geelong	Victoria			3,365
2007		Mildura	Victoria	Richmond defeated Collingwood	Quandong Park	10,733
2007		Canberra	Australian Capital Territory		Manuka Oval
2006		Gold Coast	Queensland		Carrara Stadium	6,277
2006		Gold Coast	Queensland		Carrara Stadium	10,117
2006		Shepparton	Victoria			4,500
2006		Bendigo	Victoria		Queen Elizabeth Oval	11,000
2006		Mildura	Victoria	Essendon defeated Richmond 2	Quandong Park	10,000
2006		Mandurah	Western Australia			8,283
2006		Albury	New South Wales		Lavington Sports Ground	5,151
2005		Port Lincoln	South Australia	Adelaide 12.16 (88) defeated Geelong 13.8 (86)	Centenary Oval	7,662[8]
2005		Joondalup	Western Australia	Fremantle 14.12 (96) defeated Hawthorn 4.8 (32)	The Arena	10,127[8]
2005	5 March	Gold Coast	Queensland	Brisbane 11.11 (77) defeated Essendon 9.9 (63)	Carrara Stadium	16,591[8]
2005		Alice Springs	Northern Territory	Richmond 7.9 (51) defeated Fremantle 7.7 (49)	Traeger Park	7,506[8]
2005		Albury	New South Wales	Melbourne 14.9 (93) defeated St Kilda 12.11 (83)	Lavington Sports Ground	12,157[8]
2005		Newcastle	New South Wales	Collingwood 16.9 (105) defeated Sydney 16.7 (103)	No.1 Sports Ground	3,256[8]
2005		Bendigo	Victoria	Geelong 14.6 (90) defeated Essendon 12.7 (79)	Queen Elizabeth Oval	13,000[8]
2005		Morwell	Victoria	Richmond 20.18 (138) defeated Essendon 10.6 (66)		10,127[8]
2004	28 February	Morwell	Victoria	Kangaroos 11.13 (79) drew with Hawthorn 11.13 (79)	Morwell Football Ground	4,500 [9]
2004		Alice Springs	Northern Territory	Port Adelaide 15.15 (105) defeated Collingwood 14.7 (91)	Traeger Park	10,000[9]
2004		Shepparton	Victoria	Western Bulldogs 20.13 (133) defeated Carlton 17.15 (117)	Deakin Reserve	3,000[9]
2004		Coorparoo	Queensland	Brisbane Lions 13.9 (87) defeated Richmond 11.12 (78)		5,000[9]
2004		Kadina	South Australia	Adelaide 9.18 (72) defeated Port Adelaide 10.5 (65)		8,905[9]
2004		Newcastle	New South Wales	Sydney 17.14 (116) defeated Essendon 9.10 (64)	No.1 Sports Ground	3,405[9]
2004		Mandurah	Western Australia	Kangaroos 18.12 (120) defeated Fremantle 15.8 (98)	Rushton Park	8,283[9]

¹ Match ended early due to a blackout
² Match was played as a memorial to local teenagers that died in a Mildura road accident

Note: Only matches at non-AFL grounds are listed

See also

• List of Australian Football League pre-season and night series premiers
• Michael Tuck Medal, awarded to the best player in a night series grand final
• Championship of Australia

References

1. ^ Fullpointsfooty SANFL Night Series and Pre-season Competition, retrieved 18th March 2011.
2. ^ St Kilda Football CLub, 2011 NAB Cup Trial Rules, 15 December 2010, Retrieved 5 February 2011.
3. ^ "Time to get serious in chase for $1m windfall". Herald Sun. 12 February 2007. http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21210780%255E19742,00.html. 
4. ^ Realfooty.com.au (Fairfax Media) (1 March 2008). Injuries sour Tigers' win over Swans. Accessed on 12 November 2009
5. ^ http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23301062-23211,00.html
6. ^ http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23300400-23211,00.html
7. ^ Australian Football Association of North America (11 March 2007). NAB Cup Round Three Scores. Accessed on 12 November 2009.
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Wizard Cup 2005
9. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Wizard Cup 2004

External links

• NAB Cup Results for 2006
• Pre-season: A Potted History