A PRIME-TIME opening month of the season followed by a significant run of home games are a feature of Carlton’s 2023 AFL fixture.

The Blues will play in the coveted Thursday and Friday timeslots in four of the first five weeks to kick off the year, and a total of seven times in the opening 14 rounds.

The run of marquee games follows a season in which Carlton members and supporters ranked number one in the AFL for highest average home attendance (49,784).

With three of those seven prime-time fixtures to be Carlton home games, the Navy Blue faithful will again set themselves to be in full voice on the big stage.

Having attracted more than 70,000 fans in six of the last eight years, the traditional Round 1 AFL season opener against Richmond is back, and will be followed by an exciting home opener against reigning premiers Geelong, again under the Thursday night lights of the MCG.

Included in that opening month, the Club will also have the honour of playing in its inaugural Good Friday clash against North Melbourne on 7 April – a fitting match up given the close proximity of both clubs to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

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Following the Good Friday game, the Blues will kick off the competition’s inaugural Gather Round on a Thursday night against the Crows at the Adelaide Oval.

From that point on, a nine-game stretch from Rounds 6-14 will see the Blues play six home games, with four of those scheduled on a Sunday, in a boost for the Carlton family.

For the first time since 2018, Bluebaggers will be able to experience home games against both arch-rivals, Collingwood (Round 10) and Essendon (Round 13), in the one season, with the latter scheduled for a King’s Birthday eve, Sunday night blockbuster.

The Blues’ Sunday afternoon clash with the Magpies will precede back-to-back Friday night games against Sydney and Melbourne, the first of which will come after a one-off, five-day break.

The Club will also play six away games during the first 14 rounds, with four of these to be shown free-to-air on Channel Seven, providing increased access to all members and supporters.

There will be six sides that Carlton will play twice in 2023; Collingwood, Melbourne, St Kilda, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, West Coast.

In a boost to interstate fans, the team will travel a total of six times once again, twice to Perth (Round 7 v Eagles, Round 17 v Dockers) and Sydney (Round 3 v Giants, Round 11 v Swans), and once to Queensland (Round 23 v Suns) and South Australia (Round 5 v Crows). With the competition expanding to 23 games next year, the Blues will have an additional game in Victoria.

The Club will confirm the scheduling of its annual AFL Carlton Respects game at a later date.

Carlton CEO Brian Cook said the make-up of the 2023 fixture was a clear recognition by the AFL of just how much the Club’s members and supporters turn out in significant numbers.

“Having had the  highest home crowd attendance in the competition last season, which the AFL have recognised, this is reflected in our fixture, with our club in a high number of prime-time games during the first half of the season,” Cook said.

“Carlton people turn up in big numbers for their team, the atmosphere that generates is electric and there is no better place to be than the MCG or Marvel when our home crowd is in full voice.

“That run of six home games in nine weeks, during an important stage of the season, is really exciting for us as a club and we can’t wait to see our members and supporters be there with us every step of the way.  

“Having the opportunity to also play on Good Friday is significant for us, and we will do all we can as a club to respect the day and all it represents for the people who come through, and work at, the Royal Children’s hospital each and every day.”