After much speculation over the off-season, the AFL has announced that it will not be altering the length of the half-time break.
The idea had been floated as a way to shorten overall game length with the intention of losing less television viewers in the second halves of matches.
Though it was confirmed on Saturday that there would be no change for the 2020 season, with half-time set to remain 20 minutes long.
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Several opponents to the idea voiced their concerns at the time, with match-going fans set to be the ones most heavily impacted.
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett labelled the AFL 'out of touch' in December.
"By cutting the half-time break to 10 minutes, one can only imagine the rush and confusion as the demand for the toilets, becomes impossible.
"Can anyone remember any member crying out to change the length of the half time break, let alone a ground swell of demand for change. No."
In a letter to clubs on Friday, AFL football operations boss said this was one factor in the decision-making process.
"Our focus is to ensure the best experience for fans at the ground or watching the broadcast, and ensuring the best possible outcome for players and clubs, we have decided to keep the length as is (20mins) for this season," AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking wrote to clubs on Friday night.
"We will continue to work with stakeholders around the evolution of the game and will ensure you are engaged in any further developments."
The mooted change was one that had been met with a largely positive reception from the players and coaches, with Patrick Dangerfield, Scott Pendlebury, Alastair Clarkson and Simon Goodwin publicly declaring their support.
Shorter half time 👌 Auskick pre game. Night games start much earlier 7pm. If we are worried players won’t get enough rest. Left field idea, unlimited rotations 😂
— Scott Pendlebury (@SP_10) November 27, 2019
