But it does not accept that the system is to blame for mediocre attendances, saying that has more to do with a calculated decision to make a soft start - since none of the MCG, SCG or Adelaide Oval were available for round one - and to experiment with Thursday and Sunday nights.

The AFL says some ticket prices have fallen - from $36 to $25 on the top deck of the MCG, for instance, even for blockbusters.It says nearly all tickets were sold in the first two rounds, even to matches in which crowds failed to meet expectations. The few unsold tickets generally were the cheapest, belying the idea that price was the issue.

"Is there confusion in the marketplace? Yes, there probably is," said AFL manager of commercial operations Darren Birch. "It is complicated. It is new. It is a difficult model for people to get their heads around. It is a significant change after a long, long time."

But Birch foreshadowed further change. He said the AFL hoped later this year to test dynamic ticketing, as used by some professional American sports.

"In the US, dynamic ticketing runs live with the game," he said. "So seating prices can go up - and down - depending on demand. We're not sophisticated enough yet to deliver that. But we may get a trial up this year."

Birch said he would also like to see greater capacity for resale of unused tickets at discount prices. He said the average 11-game member attended three or four games, but only about 2000 tickets a week were resold now.

He said the AFL had a problem with "third party pricing", for parking and food, for instance. "The public sees us as controlling it, but we don't. But as the peak body we've got to work really hard to influence that.

"I think most food and beverage costs at all stadiums are too high. There are reasons, but  there is a massive amount of work we can do in the door-to-door experience for the fans. Most of our research says it's total cost where fans are feeling the pinch. It's not ticketing in isolation."

Birch said the AFL had reformed its ticketing system because it was nearing a point where walk-up fans were getting a better deal than members. "We in the AFL have a very, very, very strong position to drive people to membership, because it's the lifeblood of the clubs," he said.

Birch said the new system operated at the MCG, Etihad Stadium and on the Gold Coast, but not Geelong. He said the league had given all clubs a mix of A (reserved tickets only), B and C games. "We didn't want to load Collingwood - with 14 games at the MCG - with A games," he said. "That's inherently not fair to their fans.

"For a lot of Collingwood members, the price point has gone down,'' he said. "At a Collingwood 'A game' at the MCG, 46 per cent of the available tickets have gone down. On Anzac Day, for instance, 4000 tickets went up in price, and 6000 went down.''

Birch said the AFL was acutely conscious of its tradition as a sport accessible to all. "We're very cognisant of the need to have affordability at our games. Anzac Day could sell out three times over, but you can still get a ticket for $25."

But he said the AFL also had to deal with ever rising costs, and give poorer clubs a chance to capitalise on big fixtures.

Birch said a comparison between the start of last season and this was not instructive. "Comparing round one, 2013, and round one, 2014, it's apples and oranges.'' When they were squared with their circumstances, the AFL estimated it was about 18,000 short of predictions this year.

Next year would be different again: because of the cricket World Cup, the AFL season would not start until April.

Birch said Sunday night games - including this week's Essendon-Carlton clash at the MCG - had been scheduled with half an eye on future broadcast deals. "You can't make your decisions without trying these timeslots. You've got to take those chances. The best way to trial it is not with a poor game, but with your best content."

Birch said the AFL knew that potentially 80,000 might become 60,000 on Sunday. "We're prepared to wear that," he said. "If it doesn't work for our fans or our clubs, we need to be aware of that."