FORMER Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy says the AFL has been "dumb" for its decision to trial names on players jumpers on a weekend when his club won't play in front of its home crowd.

The AFL will break with more than 100 years of tradition in 2014 by allowing players to have their names on the back of guernseys.

The league confirmed on Friday that it will trial having players' names on the back of jumpers in Round 5 this season.

But Sheedy, now in an ambassadorial role at the Giants, has questioned the league's timing with the young franchise still desperate for members.

But while praising the league for its "smart decision" to put names on jumpers, Sheedy seemed at a loss to understand why the AFL had settled on Round 5 - when the Giants face the Adelaide Crows on a Sunday afternoon.

"Pity we are playing an away game in Adelaide that weekend. Smart then dumb," Sheedy tweeted on Friday afternoon.

"As I enter my fifth year in Sydney good to know the martians are still alive in Melbourne."

Great decision by AFL to put names on jumpers. Pity we are playing an away game in Adelaide that weekend. Smart then dumb. — Kevin Sheedy (@Kevin_Sheedy) January 31, 2014

As I enter my fifth year in Sydney good to know the martians are still alive in Melbourne. — Kevin Sheedy (@Kevin_Sheedy) January 31, 2014

The push for better identification of players has been led by expansion clubs Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast, with strong support from North Melbourne.

Sheedy has been an advocate of the move for a number of years.

"It's called common sense," Sheedy said. "There's a market here and on the Gold Coast where we need to promote our talent."

The merchandising potential of having your favourite player's name on your back has generated billions of dollars in sales around the world.

Soccer, basketball, the NFL and the NHL all have players' names on their uniforms.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has been a supporter of the innovation.

Fortunately for the AFL the proposal comes well after Robert DiPierdomenico has finished playing, but Swans utility Lewis Roberts-Thomson is set to provide a headache for manufacturers.

The use of numbers on the back of guernseys was introduced during the VFL finals in 1911.

The semi-final that year between Carlton and Essendon was the first game in which both teams wore numbers on the back of their guernseys.

- with Ben Broad