AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says the league has contingencies in place to close games off from fans in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Several sporting events around the world have been played behind closed doors or forced into cancellation to limit the spread of the virus.

Following the Victorian government sharing its expectation that limits on public gatherings will be required at some stage, McLachlan said they have planned to block the turnstiles.

“If mass gatherings are suspended then we will play games with no crowds,” he said after a meeting with the 18 club presidents on Tuesday.

The AFL expects round one, beginning on Thursday, March 19 with the traditional Richmond-Carlton blockbuster, to proceed as planned if existing advice remains in place.

McLachlan said the AFL intends to play every game as fixtured, preferring to play with no fans in attendance before cancelling or postponing games.

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He does not anticipate fears over the virus to keep fans away while the gates remain open, though it is anticipated measures will be in place to “protect not only players and staff but also members and supporters”.

Whether directives on mass gatherings change before round one or begin to differ from state to state, McLachlan insists the league and its 18 clubs are on the same page.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty here in all this,” he said.

“We have to deal with decisions as they come up. We are well resourced, well planned, well organised.

The season opener between Richmond and Carlton regularly attracts crowds of 80,000 or more. Credit: Michael Dodge / Getty Images

“We’re an agile, well-coordinated industry. We’ll be working together (with clubs) on the response.”

Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, the Fremantle Dockers confirmed one of its players had tested negative for coronavirus.

The player had experienced flu-like symptoms after seeing a friend who had been in China earlier in the year.