Sydney CEO Tom Harley has welcomed the AFL’s move to start the 2024 season in New South Wales and Queensland.

The fresh campaign will start on Thursday March 7 when Sydney hosts Melbourne, before three other games are played across Sydney, Brisbane Gold Coast as part of a four-match ‘Opening Round’.

“It’s going to be a fantastic weekend for the AFL in Sydney,” Harley told Sam McClure and Matthew Richardson on Wide World of Sports.

Click PLAY to hear Tom Harley tell Wide World of Sports why it’s a good idea

“As a club we’ve been calling (for a while) to launch the game in Sydney and this is a huge opportunity. This certainly isn’t a knee-jerk reaction by any stretch.”

Richmond and Carlton will play their traditional season-opening clash on March 14, with the full fixture to be announced on Thursday.