Just months after North Melbourne’s decision to stay in Melbourne and decline the AFL’s proposal to move to the Gold Coast, AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick today revealed the league’s plans to have two new teams by 2012. This would see a team on the Gold Coast and another in Western Sydney to make a 18 team competition. Fitzpatrick conceeded that with their attempt to move the Kangaroos failing, it was unlikely that any Melbourne based teams would want to move.
He also explained that the Kangaroos decision allowed them to create an even competition by establishing a 17th team on the Gold Coast, followed by an 18th in Western Sydney within a year.
Fitzpatrick toyed with the idea that the AFL season may be reduced to 17 round, as to have a fair draw with teams playing each other once.
