The AFL has cancelled the St Kilda versus Port Adelaide match in China because of coronavirus fears.

Key points: The AFL said the decision was made because it did not want to compromise the health and safety of players and supporters

The AFL said the decision was made because it did not want to compromise the health and safety of players and supporters The fixture has been rescheduled for Melbourne's Docklands stadium in round 12

The fixture has been rescheduled for Melbourne's Docklands stadium in round 12 The Power wants to play again in Shanghai next season

The round 11 premiership match — a St Kilda home fixture — had been scheduled for May 31 in Shanghai, but will now be played at Melbourne's Docklands stadium on June 7 in round 12.

"Our team have monitored the situation in China closely," AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said in a statement.

"We have taken advice from the Australian Government, the World Health Organisation and our chief medical officer.

"It is evident that the coronavirus still poses a significant risk internationally and quite simply we will not compromise the health and safety of any of our clubs, supporters and AFL team members."

The AFL's decision to move the match was made in consultation with its Shanghai-based event partner, Juss Sports.

The AFL will feel some financial impact as a result of moving the fixture back to Australia. ( AAP: David Mariuz )

Travis Auld, the league's general manager of clubs and broadcasting, described the cancellation of the Shanghai match as a "small speed hump".

He said the league had a duty to protect the St Kilda and Port Adelaide players, as well as club officials and supporters who were set to travel to China for the encounter.

"This is an issue that is much broader than just a game of football," Mr Auld said.

"We're all impacted in some way by the current circumstances … the best we can do at the moment is give the game back to Melbourne.

Mr Auld said the AFL would face "some financial impact" but that would not be measured for some time.

"We're working through that at the moment," he said.

"Our priority really at the moment has been the health and safety of our people and making the right decision."

Power 'disappointed' but understanding

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas said the club hoped to return to China next season.

Mr Thomas said the Power understood why the AFL had decided to move the match to Melbourne.

"We're really disappointed we can't be playing in Shanghai," he said.

"We have a long-term commitment to that game but we were really pleased with the process."

Port Adelaide wants to return to China to play a premiership match in 2021. ( AAP: David Mariuz )

The Victorian Government also played a role in having the match rescheduled to be played at Docklands.

Victorian Sport Minister Martin Pakula said his Government had contributed a "relatively modest sum" for the match to be hosted in Melbourne amid "a degree of competition" from other states.

Mr Pakula said the State Government wanted the match to serve as a "celebration and a festival of our Chinese communities" considering the impact of coronavirus in Melbourne.

"There's been a real downturn in business [in Melbourne]," he said.

"The Chinese community has endured some really unfortunate and unwarranted attention from some quarters."

Both the Saints and the Power will now have a bye in round 11, instead of round 12.

The fixture scheduled for Shanghai was set to be the Saints' second as part of a three-year deal to play a match in China each year.

The Power had previously played Gold Coast in Shanghai in 2017 and 2018.

The match attracted a crowd of 9,412 spectators last year at the Shanghai venue — which is reconfigured for a capacity of 11,000 to 12,000 — while the crowd figure was just above 10,000 in both the previous two years.