Hawks handed prime slots in AFL's 2025 fixture

Hawthorn have been rewarded for their stunning surge to the AFL finals this year with a suite of primetime fixtures in 2025.

Dubbed the 'Hollywood Hawks' last season, Sam Mitchell's entertainers will play seven games on Thursday and Friday nights through the opening 16 weeks next year.

The Hawks, who start their campaign in 'Opening Round' for the first time, also feature in a blockbuster Sunday night fixture against Port Adelaide to end Gather Round and the traditional standalone Easter Monday clash with Geelong.

It is a far cry from last season, when Hawthorn did not have a single Thursday or Friday night fixture during the home-and-away campaign.

"They were a goal away from the prelim final, and play an exciting brand of footy," AFL fixtures broadcasting and scheduling boss Josh Bowler said.

"A lot of things come into the Thursday night mix - where the game is, what the match up is, but people like seeing exciting footy, and so we like to put those in the big slots."

Victorian heavyweights Carlton and Collingwood have also been handed seven matches in Thursday and Friday slots in 2025, while Essendon (eight) are the only club with more.

The Bombers' and Magpies' tallies include an afternoon slot for their traditional Anzac Day clash, which falls on a Friday next year.

At the other end of the scale, 2024 preliminary finalists Port Adelaide have been given only one Thursday or Friday game - the same number as West Coast and Gold Coast - while GWS have none.

The Power-Hawks clash in Gather Round is one of a series of marquee Sunday night matches the AFL hopes will help drive record attendances and television audiences in 2025.

The new slot is a product of the league's new $4.5 billion broadcast deal, which starts next year.

A handful of the Sunday night games will be broadcast free-to-air, while the league is seeking to take advantage of public holidays around many of those fixtures.

The Western Bulldogs play St Kilda on Easter Sunday, while Carlton and Essendon meet in their annual night game before the King's Birthday holiday.

The first Queensland derby of the season - the Brisbane Lions taking on Gold Coast in round eight - falls before the local Labour Day holiday.

West Coast will host Geelong in round 12, the night before WA Day.

The Eagles and Fremantle will host five of the nine games which will be broadcast in Sunday night slots on the east coast, including a derby at 3.10pm local time in round three.

Confirmation of the Sunday night matches comes on top of Thursday night football becoming a regular part of the fixture, set to feature in 23 home-and-away rounds next year.

Reigning premiers Brisbane will unfurl their flag at the season opener against Geelong at the Gabba on March 6, before tackling beaten grand final foe Sydney the following week.

Sir Doug Nicholls Round will feature the annual 'Dreamtime at the G' fixture between Essendon and Richmond as a standalone fixture on a Friday night in round 11.

The following day, Marvel Stadium will host a rare double-header with Carlton-GWS (1.20pm) and North Melbourne-Collingwood (7.35pm) matches.

"There was an extraordinary number of games on in Melbourne that weekend," Bowler said.

"When you're laying all the games out and thinking what opportunities you have, we had an opportunity to put two games at Marvel, which has had a pretty significant precinct redevelopment."

The Bulldogs, Hawthorn and North will all celebrate the 100-year anniversaries of their entry into the competition, then known as the VFL, with marquee matches in rounds two, eight and 20 respectively.

The schedule for the first 16 weeks of the season has been locked in, with timeslots for games in rounds 16-23 to be confirmed about four weeks out.

Timeslots for round 24 will be finalised much closer to that week as the league attempts to set up another grandstand finish to the home-and-away season.

Bowler also said 'Opening Round', which has caused some frustration among fans in Victoria, "wasn't going anywhere".

"It was highly successful (in 2024) and we expect it to be no different (in 2025)," he said.

"It's a great way to start competition in Queensland and New South Wales."