AN EQUITABLE draw is more important to supporters than blockbusters and scheduling big games in prime time television slots.

The finding was part of a survey conducted by AFL Media and published on AFL.com.au and in the AFL Record, with fans overwhelmingly stating a fair fixture was their priority.      

When asked what was more important to them, 62 per cent of fans said an equitable draw, compared to good games on television (24.2 per cent) and blockbusters (13.8 per cent).

More than 23,000 supporters took part in the survey, with revelations emerging on how fans view the state of the game, the supporter experience and the AFL's players, coaches and clubs.   

In a 23-round season, clubs must play five opponents twice before finals, making the ideal of a fair fixture near impossible.

Wingard the fans' favourite young player

Many clubs will play home state, traditional or modern rivals among their five repeat match-ups, increasing the number of blockbusters and big television matches through a season.

West Coast and Fremantle, for example, have played twice each season since the Dockers' inception in 1995, while Collingwood and Carlton have met twice every year in home and away matches since 1992.

Geelong and Hawthorn have also met twice during the home and away season every year since their modern rivalry was born in the 2008 Grand Final.

Given the drawing power of these matches they form part of clubs' fixture requests each season.

Clubs also push for prime time exposure on television, but these spots are allocated based on performance, with the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne not allocated a Friday night match in 2014.

Fans want holding the ball rule rewritten

When it comes to attending matches, Saturday afternoon footy is still the fans' favourite, with 38.9 per cent voting it the prime timeslot among the many options in 2014.

Saturday night (23.4 per cent) and Friday night (21.0 per cent) were popular, but Monday night (0.2 per cent), Sunday night (0.2 per cent) and Sunday twilight (0.6 per cent) were clearly on the nose.  

Fans were also overwhelmingly in favour of a day Grand Final, with 79.6 per cent preferring it to twilight (12.3 per cent) and night (8.1 per cent).

With crowd numbers declining in Victoria in 2014, food prices have been a hot topic and 70.3 per cent of fans said they were too high.

On countdown clocks at games, fans said they preferred to be kept in the dark in the dying minutes, with 60.8 per cent voting against their introduction at venues.