Geelong will kick-off its 2024 AFL Premiership season against St Kilda in front of a 40,000 capacity crowd on a Saturday night at GMHBA Stadium coinciding with the opening of the new northern stand.
The AFL today released the fixture for the 2024 AFL Premiership Season, with a strong mix of opponents for the Cats at GMHBA Stadium being one of the key outcomes for the Club, including matches against Richmond in Round 12 and Hawthorn in Round 17. It marks the first time the Hawks will have travelled down the highway since 2006 (excluding the Covid-impacted seasons), while it will be the first time Richmond has played at GMHBA Stadium since 2017 (and third time since 2010).
The Cats will host five Victorian teams at GMHBA Stadium in total, with North Melbourne and Western Bulldogs also making the trip as well as interstate teams the Adelaide Crows, GWS Giants, Port Adelaide and West Coast Eagles.
In what is a great result for the Club’s Melbourne members, we will play seven games in Melbourne, including two blockbuster MCG home games against Carlton in a Saturday twilight timeslot in ANZAC Round and Essendon in Round 16, as well as away matches against Collingwood, Carlton, Melbourne and the traditional Easter Monday clash against Hawthorn.
The Cats will play in each Australian state with two trips to Adelaide (Round 2 against the Crows and Gather Round against the Bulldogs), as well as trips to play Brisbane (Round 6), Sydney (Round 13), North Melbourne in Hobart (Round 20), and Fremantle (Round 22).
The Cats will also play its first-ever premiership season match in Darwin on a Thursday night at TIO Stadium as part of the opening match of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round in Round 10 against the Gold Coast Suns.
Geelong will play Carlton, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide Crows, Hawthorn and North Melbourne twice, while the Club’s bye will be in Round 14.
“We are really pleased with the Club’s 2024 fixture and particularly excited about playing nine home games in Geelong in front of a 40,000 capacity stadium, kicking-off with St Kilda on a Saturday night in Round 1,” Geelong Cats Chief Strategy and Growth Officer Marcus King said.
“Big teams will get more used to coming down the highway now that we have a 40,000 capacity stadium and we look forward to welcoming Hawthorn and Richmond next year as part of a strong overall mix of opponents at GMHBA Stadium. We thank the Victorian State Government for their investment in the Stage 5 redevelopment and what that offers for the Geelong region.
“In what is a great result for our Melbourne members, we will play seven games in Melbourne. Our interstate fans are also well served, as we play in each state as well as the Northern Territory. We can’t wait to see our fans in blue and white hoops cheering loudly and supporting the team on the road.
“We are also pleased to provide our members and fans with a strong mix of timeslots fin the first 15 rounds for both home and away matches, including primetime Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night matches as well as afternoon and twilight games, providing something for all Geelong members and fans.”
Cats 2024 AFL fixture snapshot
- 9 home games at GMHBA Stadium, starting with a blockbuster match against St Kilda in Round 1 on a Saturday night coinciding with the opening of the new Northern Stand as well as hosting Richmond and Hawthorn in Geelong.
- 6 games at MCG, with blockbuster home games against Carlton in Round 7 in ANZAC Round and Essendon in Round 16, and away matches against Hawthorn on Easter Monday, Collingwood, Melbourne and Carlton.
- 9 prime time timeslots in the first 15 rounds; 1 Thursday night, 3 Friday nights, 5 Saturday nights plus the traditional Easter Monday blockbuster – all being matches broadcast live on the Seven Network (as well as Foxtel and Kayo)
- School holiday games: Rounds 3-5 against Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs in Adelaide for Gather Round and North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium, and Rounds 16-18 against Essendon at the MCG, the Hawks in Geelong and Collingwood at the MCG.
- Gather Round for A Festival of Footy match-up against Western Bulldogs during the April School holidays in Round 4, the second match of a doubleheader at Adelaide Oval on Saturday with Carlton v Fremantle being played beforehand. Geelong Cats members have free entry to the doubleheader event.
- A good spread of away matches with games in each of Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and Darwin. The clash against the Suns in Darwin opening Sir Doug Nicholls Round will be the first time the Cats have played there for premiership points.
