MELBOURNE captain Nathan Jones says the AFL is ready for Good Friday football and has thrown his team’s hat into the ring to play on the religious day.

The Demons, who will request to play Richmond on Anzac Day eve again next season and who have a marquee fixture against Collingwood on Queen’s Birthday, join clubs including North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Carlton and St Kilda in expressing interest in playing on the holy day.

Jones says there is an opportunity for the AFL to provide a “spectacle”, while embracing the meaning of the day.

“I think it is,” Jones told RSN of the league being ready to play on Good Friday. “I think we should definitely take advantage of it.

“The way we support some of the other feature games throughout the year ... the AFL do it in a wonderfully compassionate way and all-encompassing — they embrace what the day is about depending on what it is.

media_camera Nathan Jones has thrown his support behind Good Friday football. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

“I think we can do the same thing with Good Friday footy.

“I’d like to throw Melbourne’s hat in the ring to be part of something like that, it’d be terrific, but I think at this stage from what I’ve read in the media there’s a couple of clubs ahead of us.

“But I’d be a strong advocate for it. I think the AFL should take advantage of it, it would give us terrific exposure. I’d expect a big crowd.

“I think we could do it in a way that embraces the meaning of the day and I guess it’s something we can actually celebrate and off the back of it hopefully provide a great spectacle with the country’s number one game.”

Last week AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said it’s still 50-50 whether the league will fixture a game on the holy day next year.

While Good Friday football was given the green light by the AFL commission in 2014, no games have been played on the religious day yet.

But reports emerged on Tuesday an announcement from the league for 2017 is imminent.

Jones says he’s “not super religious” and isn’t fully aware of the significance of the day but would like to see an AFL game played in a family-friendly afternoon timeslot.

“It would have to be an afternoon thing from my point of view,” he said. “Obviously being a public holiday you’d expect families to get out there ... making it a more family friendly environment.

“In saying that I haven’t had the religious upbringing to understand the meaning completely behind Good Friday, so that’s something they’d have to work through and make sure they embrace the meaning of the day and provide a spectacle that really strongly respects what the day is about.”