Adelaide will open the 2011 premiership season against Hawthorn at AAMI Stadium.

The Crows will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its first match in the AFL with the Saturday night clash against the Hawks at 7.10pm, the first time in four years the Crows have begun the season at home.

Crows chief executive officer Steven Trigg said the Club was pleased it had been scheduled to play three Saturday night games at home, including the season opener,  and seven games in Victoria.

“Commercially we are really pleased,” Trigg said. “We open the season against Hawthorn on a Saturday night, which will give our season real impetus."

"We got 45,000 people to a game in 1991 and whilst that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, our intention is to get more than 45,000 people here round one, 2011. It would be a fantastic way to start the season against Hawthorn, celebrating 20 years since the first game.

"We’ve got a couple of extra Saturday night games, we don’t play, as we seem to have invariably done in recent times, Mothers Day lunch time or 4.10pm on Easter Sunday and a whole range of other things.

"We play the Gold Coast here for interest, we have a Friday night game against Essendon; our fixture is in pretty good shape."

Adelaide's run home is seemingly difficult with three longer road trips in the final five rounds, but that is balanced with Adelaide not having to travel outside of Melbourne until August.

"It is challenging that you get three long leg road trips in the last four calendar weeks of the season and that is demanding; there are no complaints but it is demanding.

"We’ll have to plan really carefully for all of that, particularly as it will be warm in a few of those places. It is quirky of course that for the previous 19 rounds, we travel Adelaide to Melbourne." 

“We believe next year’s fixture allows the club to maximise the potential for stronger home crowds, and we will have a strong focus on providing a great match day experience for our supporters.”

Other features of Adelaide’s draw include:

• the first three games of the season at AAMI Stadium

• the first bye of the season is in round two, the second in round 16

• two games against Gold Coast Suns, Port Adelaide, Geelong, St Kilda, Brisbane and West Coast Eagles

• three Friday night games

• one game at the MCG

• five games at Etihad Stadium

• one game at Patersons Stadium (Perth)

• one game at the Gabba (Brisbane)

• one game at Gold Coast Stadium

• one game at Skilled Stadium (Geelong)

• the first Showdown of the season (April 16) will be an away game

• Fremantle, St Kilda, Gold Coast Suns, Brisbane Lions, West Coast Eagles, Sydney, Essendon, Geelong and Richmond also play at AAMI Stadium against the Crows.