THE MCG will continue its beefed up security measures for the upcoming AFL season but has scrapped the controversial 'ring of steel' fence outside the ground.

The venue's management ran a trial during the cricket season that included a wire fence around the perimeter of the ground as an extra security measure.

But ahead of next week's opening game of the AFL season between Richmond and Carlton at the MCG, MCC chief executive Stephen Gough said a review had shown there to be concerns about using the fence at AFL matches.

Tickets to the Round 1 Season Opener against Carlton are available now

Gough said the expectation of larger crowds at AFL games was a key factor in deciding with the AFL and Victoria Police to abandon the fence, which saw long delays for cricket fans at stages across summer.

"The numbers of people involved in the AFL are in excess of the numbers we had for cricket [and] their arrival patterns are vastly different, with large crowds descending upon the place in very short time before game time," Gough said.

"We had some concerns about the robustness of the fence, and we had some issues around if there was an emergency, have we got enough emergency gates to deal with the fence?"

Gough said every bag would be searched by security and each car that parks underneath the MCG would be checked, while random screening of patrons at gate entrances would continue. 

He also called on fans to allow more time to get into the ground and to avoid arriving at the MCG only minutes before the first bounce.