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Dear members,

Today the AFL released the 2012 fixture, which has many pleasing elements for Collingwood supporters.

The season is set to be full of big blockbuster games with Collingwood set to play two games against Carlton, Essendon, Hawthorn, Geelong and the West Coast Eagles.

Download desktop wallpapers featuring the 2012 fixture.

We will again play 14 games at our home ground the MCG but only three games at Etihad Stadium, due to the fact that we will play five interstate games including two in NSW.

The extra interstate game will not affect the home-game membership package but for home-and-away members with reserved seating who now only have access to 17 games, there will be no increase from 2011 prices as compensation.

For Collingwood supporters around Australia all of our games will be televised live on Foxtel with at least 15 of those games to be also broadcast free-to-air on the Seven Network..

Televising the final game of the year against Essendon on free-to-air will be decided by the AFL as part of its floating format for round 23 and details of this round will be determined by our position on the ladder leading into the finals.

Based on feedback from supporters, the club worked very closely with the AFL to ensure only one Sunday game was scheduled in 2012, unlike the six Sunday games scheduled in 2011.

The fixture will provide a big challenge for Nathan Buckley in his first year as senior coach, with Collingwood being handed arguably the toughest on-field draw having to play each of last season’s top teams twice. This will be the perfect environment for the player group to test and benchmark themselves against potentially the best teams in the AFL.

The 2012 fixture has delivered some big challenges for the club on-field but I do think the supporters are the major winners, as we retain the majority of our games in Melbourne at the MCG and all games largely accessible on free-to-air and pay TV.

Go Pies!

Gary Pert

Collingwood CEO