AFTER 54 days without the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, an announcement on its restart is coming on Friday afternoon at 12.45pm AEST.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan will explain the 'return to play' details – revealed first on AFL.com.au to be on June 11 – and the resumption of training plan set for next week.
>> WATCH IT LIVE ON AFL.COM.AU AND THE AFL LIVE OFFICIAL APP FROM 12.45pm AEST
Players will begin a week of non-contact training at their clubs on Monday before full contact training is introduced with two sessions a week from May 25.
FOOTY'S BACK AFL'S resumption date revealed
All players and officials will be tested for COVID-19 at least 24 hours prior to those contact sessions with results to be returned before training to reduce the spread of the virus.
The four clubs from South Australia and Western Australia will resume their matches inside quarantine hubs on the Gold Coast.
Two luxury golf resorts will be used to house the visiting teams who will play a host of games at Metricon Stadium and the Gabba against the Suns and Lions in the early rounds.
However, a fixture for the return of football will be released inside the next seven days.
The decision on whether families can join players inside the hubs is expected to come down to the individual clubs.
SA government rules stating that no contact training is permitted until June 8 will force Adelaide and Port Adelaide to move to Queensland quicker to get their preparation underway.
An exemption in WA will allow Fremantle and West Coast to train fully from May 25 - in line with the AFL's ruling - and which will help both clubs to stay home for longer before flying east to begin matches.
A bombshell letter from the SA government on Wednesday blindsided the Crows and Power who were hoping to be given an exemption to avoid the state's 14-day quarantine measures when arriving back from interstate matches. Their request was flatly denied.
>> WATCH IT LIVE ON AFL.COM.AU AND THE AFL LIVE OFFICIAL APP FROM 12.45pm AEST
The 10 Victorian-based teams and two clubs in New South Wales will follow the AFL's timeline on training but have been given the green light to start full sessions by state governments.
Clubs in Victoria and NSW will continue to play in their states, as well as fly in and out for matches. They'll use chartered flights - often carrying two teams for interstate trips - to reduce costs and avoid the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Testing of all players and officials for COVID-19 started this week and will be completed by Friday.
It comes as players were briefed on Wednesday about adhering to stricter social distancing protocols than those set for the public in their individual states to avoid the virus spreading inside a club.
AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App will have all the latest details throughout the day on Friday.
