These are the key dates for the 2015 season around club list requirements, AFL Trade Period and the NAB AFL Draft Process:-

Friday 25 September 2pm - Draft Eligible Academy Player Nominations Lodged

Friday 9 October - AFL Restricted Free Agency Offer and Unrestricted Free Agency Period Commences

Monday 12 October 10am - NAB AFL Trade Period Commences

Sunday 18 October 5pm - Close of AFL Restricted Free Agency Offer and Unrestricted Free Agency Period.

Wednesday 21 October - AFL Restricted Free Agency Matching Offer 3 Day Period Ends

Thursday 22 October 2pm NAB AFL Trade Period Closes

Friday 23 October 5pm - Application to Relist a Player Close

Friday 30 October 2pm - List Lodgement (1) ; Rookie Promotion to Primary List; Retained 2nd & 3rd Year Rookies; International Scholarship Player; Alternate Talent Player Nominations; Club Notification of Rookie Players Not Accepting a Contract of Offer; Nomination of Draft Eligible Father/Son Players Lodged; TPP Pre-Season Estimates (1).

Saturday 31 October - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (1) Commences

Monday 9 November 5pm - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (1) Closes

Monday 9 November 2pm - Out of Contract Listed AFL Primary List Players Draft Nomination Form and Player Request for Removal from List Form Lodged with AFL

Tuesday 10 November 2pm - List Lodgement (2); TPP Pre-Season Estimates (2)

Wednesday 11 November - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (2) Commences

Tuesday 17 November 2pm - Delisted Primary List Draft Nomination Form Lodgement; NonRetained Rookie Players Draft Nomination Form Lodgement; Players Not Registered or Played for Three years Rookie List Form lodgement; New or Expired (after 3 years) Draft Nomination Form Lodgement.

Friday 20 November 5pm - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (2) Closes

Tuesday 24 November - NAB AFL Draft Selection Meeting (Adelaide Convention Centre) including Father/Son & Academy Players Bidding.

Wednesday 25 November - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (3) Commences

Thursday 26 November 2pm - AFL Delisted Free Agency Period (3) Concludes; AFL Club List Lodgement (3).

Friday 27 November 11am - NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting (Telstra Webex)

Friday 27 November 11:05am - Notification of Pre-Selected Rookies if not selected in the Pre-Season Draft.

Friday 27 November 11:10am - NAB AFL Rookie Draft Selection Meeting (Telstra Webex)

Tuesday 1 December 2pm - Final AFL Club List Lodgement; Final TPP Pre-Season Estimates

Friday 4 December 2pm - International Players Inclusion on Rookie List Form Lodgement

So there will be two weeks of sheer madness in October

Football has become so bloody complicated. Is it just me ? I honestly don't understand about 90% of the OP!

Football has become so bloody complicated. Is it just me ? I honestly don't understand about 90% of the OP!

Actually, I think the AFL should be more creative. If clubs can now trade future draft picks, why not also the rights to future father-son selections? Imagine the bidding war for the unborn first son of Gary Ablett Jr. Would the rights to Ablett's as yet unborn child be worth more than, say, Chris Judd's first born?