SELLING home games interstate in the 18-team era has been a great success for some teams and a disaster for others, as clubs balance financial needs and potential sacrifices to on-field performance.  

North Melbourne will walk that tightrope over the next two weeks as it travels to Western Australia as part of a lucrative deal with the state government to play back-to-back 'home' games against Fremantle and West Coast.  

The Roos have been able to split the ledger when it comes to relocated home games since 2012, but the WA challenge is a new one given the club has handed over the home game advantages, rather than playing at a neutral venue. 

There are significant financial benefits, with the deal worth about $2.5 million a season and allowing the club to bring two other home games back to Melbourne from Tasmania. 

But the success of the deal hinges on Alastair Clarkson's team continuing to at least split the games 1-1, as it did last year, with the Roos boasting the potential to jump into the wildcard mix if they can build momentum after their round 12 bye.   

The tension between financial needs and football performance when it comes to sold games has been exposed multiple times this season, with Melbourne coach Steven King the latest coach to lament having a home game sacrificed.   

"Selfishly, for me as a senior coach, I'd love to play every game at the MCG. That's our home," King said after the Demons lost to Greater Western Sydney in Alice Springs on Sunday.

"I completely understand the club's position and our responsibility to grow the game, (and) for our club to maximise the opportunities when they present themselves as well.

"I'm not sure how long the contract is, that’s not my role, I’m here to coach the team. I want a mantra where we can play anywhere and come away and put up a good show.

"Just disappointed we didn't give our best version of ourselves here for the people of Alice Springs."

The loss took the Demons' record in sold games at TIO Traeger Park to 4-8 since their deal with the Northern Territory started in 2014, with the club losing its past four at the venue. 

It has also played home games at Darwin's TIO Stadium, where it has a 2-6 record since 2012, giving the Demons a 30 per cent win rate in sold home games in the 18-team era. 

Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick also voiced his club's preference for more home games at People First Stadium, despite a formidable 10-1 record in games the club has sold to play at TIO Stadium. 

The Suns have one of the better records in sold games since 2012, boasting a winning percentage of 69 per cent in matches played across Darwin (10-1), Cairns (1-0), China (0-2), Perth (0-1) and Townsville (0-1). 

Hardwick, however, cited the demands of promoting the game in Darwin as well as its heartland, with the club's deal set to expire after 2026.

"What I do know is we're charged with the responsibility of growing the game in south-east Queensland and we've also got a responsibility to grow the game up here," Hardwick said last month after the club again went 2-0 in the Top End. 

"We'd also love to have some more home games in Queensland as well.

"Where that ends up, I'm not too sure. There's people, obviously, that will enter negotiations."

Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs have shown it is possible to set up partnerships that serve both the financial and performance needs of an AFL club through the home games they have played in Tasmania and Ballarat respectively.

So successful have the Hawks been in Launceston, with a 79 per cent winning rate in the 18-team era, the club was left "extremely disappointed" when the AFL decided the club would no longer play home games in the state following 2027 as the Tasmania Devils enter the competition.   

The Hawks have played home games in Tasmania for 25 years and enjoyed periods of incredible success, typically playing four games a season in the state and winning their past 12. 

Between 2012 and 2016, Alastair Clarkson's Hawks won 19 consecutive games in the state. 

The Western Bulldogs, meanwhile, have an 80 per cent win rate for the home games they have sold to Ballarat (10-4), Cairns (4-0) and Darwin (2-0) since 2012. 

The flip side is St Kilda's experience, relocating six home games in the expansion era and failing to win one across games in Wellington (0-3), Cairns (0-2) and China (0-1).

The Saints undertook a review in 2022 and declared they would "continue to sharpen our focus on football, minimise distractions to the football program and maximise support. In particular, we have decided not to sell a home game in 2023". 

Richmond is another club that dabbled briefly in selling home games but aborted the strategy for a long period after a lack of success, losing two of the three games it relocated to Cairns between 2011-13. The Tigers also played a single home game in the Northern Territory in 2011 but sold the rights for that match to Melbourne after losing to Port Adelaide.

The Tigers will hit the road again for home games from round 14 this season, however, playing Brisbane at Hobart's Ninja Stadium as part of a deal to play one home game a season in Tasmania in 2026 and 2027. 

Greater Western Sydney has a long-running agreement with the ACT Government to play at least three home games at Canberra's Manuka Oval, giving the Giants a second home where they have a winning rate of 48 per cent since entering the competition, winning 19 of 40 games. 

North Melbourne has a similar success rate in the home games it has sold since 2012, winning 19 of 41 games in Hobart and also recording two draws before exiting Tasmania last year.  

The club's Perth deal got off to a good start in 2025 with a win against West Coast before a six-point loss to Fremantle, with the Roos avoiding any other travel to WA. 

This year, however, they lost to West Coast already in round two and now return for challenging back-to-back matches. Continuing their 50 per cent win rate should mean the performance sacrifices don't outweigh the financial benefits.