Calls are being made for Optus Stadium to host more Sunday night games in the wake of the weekend’s successful opening between West Coast and Sydney.

There were 53,553 punters in the stands on Sunday night for the 4.20pm bouncedown at the new venue, with 239,000 people watching the game nationally on Fox Footy and another 218,000 watching on Channel 7 across WA.

The Optus Stadium opener is the only Sunday night fixture this season, and the first since 2014 when the league’s trial of the timeslot saw crowd numbers take a hit in Melbourne, with the league preferring the twilight timeslot.

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One of the final Sunday night games of the 2014 trial drew just 40,936 fans at watch Collingwood play Carlton at the MCG, the lowest crowd to a game between the traditional rivals since 1921, leading to Eddie McGuire demanding compensation from the league and all but killing the experiment.

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But the strong support at the weekend, plus the light show put on by the new venue, has seen momentum build behind making it a permanent Sunday fixture.

Speaking on the Duff and Quarters podcast, The West Australian’s chief football writer Mark Duffield said he believed West Coast and Fremantle should put their efforts into getting more Saturday and Sunday night games rather than chase the traditional blockbuster timeslot on Friday night.

“It was a fantastic occasion at Optus Stadium on Sunday night. We saw the potential of that venue as a night venue with the light show and the atmosphere that can be created there,” he said.

“I hope our clubs make the most of it and request a lot of night fixtures - even if that ends up being a Sunday night fixture.

Camera Icon It worked the first time, but would people support a 5.20pm start after daylight savings. Credit: Getty Images

“A Saturday night or a Sunday night fixture at that venue with the show you can put on - I think that has massive benefits for our two local clubs.”

The sentiments were echoed on Monday night with Crocmedia boss Craig Hutchison, who controls the AFL’s radio broadcasting rights, believing it would be a perfect product for both WA and South Australia.

“Memo to AFL: Sunday night football should stay and stay permanently,” he said on Nine’s Footy Classified.

“That timeslot, (7.20pm) Sunday, is exactly the time that should be introduced into the game and that is the exact venue it should be played at every Sunday night.

“It’s the second-biggest franchise in the United States, Sunday night football, and it is a massive gap in the AFL weekend schedule. I can think of no reason why we wouldn’t do this every week.”

If the games were scheduled for a 7.20pm start on television over east, bouncedown would move back an hour to 5.20pm in WA at the end of daylight savings.