The 2017 AFL season will be the 121st season of the VFL/AFL competition since its inception in 1897; having entered the competition in 1925, it will be the 93rd season contested by the Hawthorn Football Club. Tasmania and iiNet continued as the club's two major sponsors, as they had done since 2006 and 2013 respectively, while Adidas continued to manufacture the club's on-and-off field apparel, as they had done since 2013. Hawthorn continued its alignment with the Box Hill Hawks Football Club in the Victorian Football League, allowing Hawthorn-listed players to play with the Box Hill Hawks when not selected in AFL matches.

Alastair Clarkson will continue as the club's head coach for the thirteenth consecutive season. In a surprise announcement, Jarryd Roughead replaced Luke Hodge as the club's captain on 20 January 2017 after the latter had led the club since 2011.

It was announced in December 2016 that Stuart Fox would leave his position as the club's Chief Executive Officer to take up the same position with the Melbourne Cricket Club at the end of February 2017. On 1 May, Tracey Gaudry was appointed the club's new CEO.

The following summarises all player changes between the conclusion of the 2016 season and the beginning of the 2017 season.

The club will play three practice matches as part of the 2017 JLT Community Series, and will be played under modified pre-season rules, including nine-point goals.

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