<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first round of this year's AFL season has seen record high attendance with 431,505 fans flocking to games over the weekend, about 38,000 more attendees than the average number for round one, the AFL has revealed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fans showed up for nine matches from March 13 to 16, surpassing 400,000 in total attendance for only the fifth time in the AFL's history.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The previous record was 413,405 attendees.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/voice-of-america-channels-fall-silent-as-trump-administration-guts-agency-and-cancels-contracts/6cd17295-b23c-4c03-a0e7-41f156ca1f63" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump silences Voice of America, 1300 employees put on leave</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Carlton v Richmond match on Thursday night attracted more than 80,000 fans, only the eighth time in history this game has surpassed that amount.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Attendance for the Hawthorn v Essendon match was the highest in history, up 2441 on the previous record from 2017.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions grand final rematch on March 7 drew the largest home and away crowd between these two clubs in 19 years, with 34,906 attendees.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/record-high-attendance-at-beginning-of-afl-season/3a143471-1fd5-45e6-bef9-8ba8904d81c9" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/four-day-work-week-greens-push-for-reduced-working-hours-in-australia-election-policy/1eb73daf-b407-48b7-999e-5c2ca74e1ba1" target="_blank"><strong><span>Election push for permanent four-day work week</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Round one and all nine matches is always such an exciting time for all our clubs, and we are so thankful for all the fans turning out in record numbers," AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The clubs do so much work connecting with their fans and making the matches must attend events and on behalf of the AFL I want to thank all the fans, venues, broadcasters and clubs for giving us a round one for the history books."</span></div></div>