The AFL will ensure its two new clubs on the Gold Coast and western Sydney will have playing lists good enough to make them instantly competitive in an expanded 18 team competition.

But just how the AFL plans to do that without upsetting its current 16 clubs remains to be seen.

The AFL won unanimous approval from its current 16 club presidents on Thursday to expand the competition to 18 teams - possibly in 2012 - with the introduction of new teams on the Gold Coast and in western Sydney.

One of the biggest concerns from the clubs, ahead of Thursday's meeting to discuss the league's expansion plans was just where the players for the two new clubs would come from and how much the current 16 clubs would have to give up in terms of players.

While no resolution has been agreed, AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick said the league had learned the lessons of the past when it set up new clubs in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland in the 1980's and 1990's.

"We went through the history of what has been done (before) and several presidents expressed the view that that had disturbed the competition and we are very aware of that."

Some club presidents - particularly Collingwood's Eddie McGuire - have fought for years to ensure a level playing field when it comes to the national draft but after having just won that battle they now face the prospect of the new clubs being granted recruiting concessions.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the league would not allow the new clubs to begin with sub-standard playing lists as was the case with the last new team to be set up in a rugby league stronghold - the Brisbane Bears who struggled for a decade upon their admission to the league in 1987.

"It is important as a principle that both clubs are competitive (immediately)," Demetriou said.

"We want a competitive competition and we have learnt from the past in that we don't want teams getting beat soundly every week."

However Demetriou believes there will be less impact on the current clubs in terms of losing players given the new clubs will be given longer to get ready to join the AFL than Brisbane, West Coast, Adelaide and Fremantle were.

"We just wanted the clubs to understand that we understand what their issues are and use this lead-in time to minimise the impact on them."

Among measures that could be introduced is the new Gold Coast club, the identity of which is likely to known by the end of this year, being able to stockpile the best young talent in Queensland prior to its entrance to the AFL.

Geelong president Frank Costa said the clubs shouldn't fear losing players to the new two clubs.

"We had the experience going back a few years ago when the (Fremantle) Dockers were started up (in 1995) and we lost two players - Stephen O'Reilly and Andrew Wills - but we got two 16-year-olds to take their place and one of them was (2007 premiership ruckman and former skipper) Steven King, who had a long career with Geelong.'

"So that didn’t kill Geelong and it helped the Dockers get off to a good start with a couple of experienced players over there and I think something similar will probably happen this time."

Demetriou added the new clubs