Brisbane Lions
Return date: November 4.
Check out what the players have been getting up to in the off-season
Return dates: First to fourth-year players start their pre-season on November 18. Fifth-year and older players start on December 2.
Collingwood
Return dates: First to fourth-year players start their pre-season on November 6. Fifth-year and older players start on November 18.
The pioneers of the overseas high-altitude are keeping things much more low-key and local this year. There will be no requirements for passports this summer at Collingwood, with the first-to fourth year players heading to the Grampians for three days in early December, while those who have played for five years or more will spend three days in late November at the RACV Club at Inverloch, in the south of Gippsland. Club leaders including chief executive Gary Pert, have visited Manchester United since the end of the season. - Ashley Browne
Essendon
Return dates: First to fourth-year players return Wednesday, November 6; fifth-year players and older return Monday, November 18.
A larger group of Essendon players will head to Colorado this off-season for the second-straight year of the club's foray into altitude training. The Bombers won flights for the team to head to the US for the camp after taking part in the Virgin Australia short-film festival, which was one of the top-three videos among competing clubs. Last year the Bombers sent a group of 10 players on the trip, and they all felt the benefits. The Bombers will return to pre-season training at their new Melbourne Airport base on a full-time basis, with the club set to move into the facility next week. The state-of-the-art centre features two training grounds, an indoor facility, a gym and pool. A number of Bombers had off-season surgery, including star forward Michael Hurley, who underwent an ankle reconstruction. - Callum Twomey
Below: Bomber Michael Hibberd putting in the hard yards ahead of his brilliant 2013. Picture: AFL Media
Fremantle
Return dates: First to fourth-year players start their pre-season on November 18, along with those rehabilitating major injuries. Fifth-year and older players start on December 2.
Anthony Morabito, Kepler Bradley and Jon Griffin were progressing with their recovery from ACL injuries through September and have continued to work away from the club in October. The majority of those that featured in the Grand Final loss have ventured overseas on holiday. The Dockers will remain in Perth throughout the pre-season with no training trips planned, either overseas or interstate. - Alex Malcolm
Geelong
Return dates: First to fourth-year players start their pre-season on November 18. Fifth-year and older players start on December 2.
The club is holding a training camp at Coffs Harbour on the northern New South Wales coast from December 12-20. The Cats will use the elite training centre at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort, which has previously been used by Hawthorn, Essendon, the Wallabies and various NRL clubs. - Adam McNicol
Below: Geelong players take in the sites at Falls Creek in December of 2012. Picture: AFL Media
Greater Western Sydney
Return dates: First to fourth-year players (the majority of the Giants' list) start their pre-season on November 6. Fifth-year and older players start on November 18.
New head coach Leon Cameron has taken a quick 10-day overseas trip with his family and is due back at the end of October. Shaun Edwards is participating in the International Rules Series, while Shane Mumford may be afforded a longer off-season than his new teammates due to his participation in the finals series with the Sydney Swans. A number of players have enjoyed breaks overseas, with Callan Ward and Jonathon Patton spending time in the US and Sam Reid heading to Vanuatu. While they spent time with friends and families back home in Melbourne, Adam Tomlinson, Kristian Jaksch and James Stewart did some training together. Patton (knee) will be on a modified training program when he returns from leave as he targets a return in round one next season. - James Dampney
Gold Coast
Return dates: First to fourth-year players return on November 6. Fourth-year players and older return on November 10.
The young blokes - most of the Suns' list - get back a few days before linking with the older guys on the way to Arizona for a two-week altitude training trip. Gold Coast has undertaken the same trip the past two years and are heading back with the entire squad for a third time. New fitness boss Stephen Schwerdt led the group in 2012 and is a big believer in the positive effects it provided on the Suns' fitness last season. - Michael Whiting
Hawthorn
Return dates: First to fourth-year players return on November 18, followed by five-year-plus players on December 2.
In a change-up from the past two years' pre-season camps in Mooloolaba, Queensland, the Hawks will head to South Africa in December for a 12-day trip mixing training in state-of-the-art facilities with cultural experiences. Last season's knee victims Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling, Alex Woodward and Brendan Whitecross will all continue on their paths back to full fitness during the pre-Christmas training period, with Whitecross – who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during the finals – not as advanced as the other three. Best and fairest winner Josh Gibson will also be on modified duties early in the pre-season, following minor post-season wrist surgery. Hawthorn will break for Christmas on December 21, returning on January 6. - Mark Macgugan
Below: Hawthorn's Jarryd Roughead works up a sweat on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: AFL Media
Melbourne
Return dates: First to fourth-year year players plus rehabilitation group November 6. Fifth-year players and over return on November 18.
Melbourne isn't expected to head to Darwin for a training camp as it did last season. It looks likely to conduct a small scale training camp more locally with preparations for that still underway. Chris Dawes and Mitch Clark, however, are heading to Arizona to train in preparation for an important pre-season after an injury interrupted 2013. Jesse Hogan will have recovered from a knee injury but will be taken slowly and Jack Viney, Dom Tyson and Jimmy Toumpas will undergo careful preparations as they come off foot, knee and hip problems respectively. - Peter Ryan
North Melbourne
Return dates: First to fourth-year players return on November 3, followed by five-year-plus players on November 15.
The Kangaroos will once again head to Utah for their annual pre-season altitude camp, with the entire playing list – including veteran Brent Harvey and new recruit Nick Dal Santo – making the journey. Harvey did not attend last year, but will complete the full three weeks this time. Skipper Andrew Swallow (ruptured Achilles) and big man Majak Daw (posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction) will be among those on modified duties. Both players are on target to be back running during December. Nathan Grima (foot), Leigh Adams (knee), Kieran Harper (elbow) and Scott Thompson (knee) will all be fully recovered from minor post-season surgery in time for the camp, which begins on November 15. - Mark Macgugan
Port Adelaide
Return dates: First to fourth-year players return on November 18. Five-year-plus players return on November 24.
The highlight of the Power's pre-season will undoubtedly be the training camp in Dubai from November 24 to December 4. The club sees the opportunity to spend time abroad together as an important bonding period ahead of season 2014, just as its trip to Italy and England held the group in terrific stead before this year's incredible run. Just three players have required post-season surgery - Hamish Hartlett (shoulder), Tom Logan (thumb) and Jack Hombsch (hip) - compared to 18 at the same time last year. - Harry Thring
Richmond
Return dates: November 6 sees the return of first to fourth-year players and fifth-year and older players are back on November 18.
The Tigers have already gone overseas en masse with nine players - Jake King, Dylan Grimes, Daniel Jackson, David Astbury, Matt Dea, Shane Edwards, Alex Rance, Reece Conca and Steve Morris – travelling to Rio de Janeiro for a cultural-exchange program. They have kept their fitness up with running and weights training part of the daily routine. As for specific training camps, the Tigers have favoured Australian heat over international altitude in recent years and Cairns was their most recent pre-season destination. There is nothing planned at this stage though with the players to officially return to training on the dates above (stipulated by the AFLPA). - Jennifer Phelan
Topless Tigers: Richmond players chilling out in Rio de Janeiro. Picture: Courtesy of RFC
St Kilda
Return dates: November 6 (first to fourth-year players), November 18 (fifth-year and older players)
The Saints have a few players who underwent post-season surgery including Nick Riewoldt (knee), Sean Dempster (knee), James Gwilt (knee) and Adam Schneider (thumb) but all are expected to start training on time. They will return to Colorado in the US for another 16-day, altitude-training camp on November 26. Then, there is the possibility of another community camp at their overseas base of New Zealand. In the meantime, they've spread themselves far and wide with Riewoldt spending time in Waco, Texas (where his wife is from), while David Armitage and Sam Fisher went to Bali. Daniel Markworth holidayed in Europe and Rhys Stanley visited Dubai. - Jennifer Phelan
Sydney Swans
Return dates: First to fourth-year players start their pre-season on November 18. Fifth-year and older players start on December 2. Injured duo Alex Johnson (knee) and Tommy Walsh (hamstring) may return to the club a little earlier to continue their rehab.
Coach John Longmire is enjoying a three-week US holiday with his family, while chief executive Andrew Ireland is in Europe and a number of players headed off to various ports around the world. New recruit Lance Franklin, Adam Goodes, Lewis Jetta and Tony Armstrong were all part of the International Rules Series in Ireland. Ryan O'Keefe and reserves coach Jared Crouch have taken off on their annual bike ride, this time to Spain. Young gun Tom Mitchell is recovering from the ankle surgery he underwent in September and is on track to return for the start of pre-season. - James Dampney
West Coast
Return dates: First to fourth-year players start their pre-season on November 6. Fifth-year and older players start on November 18.
The strength and conditioning department will finalise the Eagles' pre-season program with new coach Adam Simpson this week. As usual, the Eagles are unlikely to go overseas instead choosing to prepare in the hot Perth summer. Nic Naitanui has trained regularly on his own through September and October to prepare himself for a full pre-season after missing the last six games of 2013 due to his groin issues. - Alex Malcolm
Expect beards to return. Will Schofield shows off his pre-season facial hair in 2012. Picture: AFL Media
Western Bulldogs
Return dates: The first-fourth year players are expected back at training on November 6 or 7. The fifth-year players and veterans are due to return around the 18th.
The Bulldogs are trying something new this season, with 12 players jetting off to Colorado in November for a 15-day altitude training camp on Tuesday, November 5. The group is made up of mainly key-position players, and they will partially pay their own way, as part of the player-driven initiative. The club also plans to use the altitude rooms and other state-of-the-art facilities at Victoria University throughout the pre-season and into 2014. - Jacqui Reed
