Thoughts on AFLW

[aardvark]

Stevo do you watch any other games apart from the Swans? There was 20000 at Adelaide oval Friday night. This year's crop of draftees are already dominating ,they are so talented.TV rights and advertising is already paying for the competition, the gate takings are barely relevant.Do you really think the AFL would continue with AFLW if they weren't making money from it or see it as financially viable in the near future? It will take a couple of years for the expansion teams to catch up. There will always be clubs that struggle from time to time just like North afl.Go watch the replay of Collingwood StKilda last weekend then come back and tell me you didn't enjoy it and I'll call you a liar.

[Foreign Legion]

Stevo do you watch any other games apart from the Swans? There was 20000 at Adelaide oval Friday night. This year's crop of draftees are already dominating ,they are so talented.TV rights and advertising is already paying for the competition, the gate takings are barely relevant.Do you really think the AFL would continue with AFLW if they weren't making money from it or see it as financially viable in the near future? It will take a couple of years for the expansion teams to catch up. There will always be clubs that struggle from time to time just like North afl.Go watch the replay of Collingwood StKilda last weekend then come back and tell me you didn't enjoy it and I'll call you a liar.

What are your thoughts on the length of the ground?

[stevoswan]

Stevo do you watch any other games apart from the Swans? There was 20000 at Adelaide oval Friday night. This year's crop of draftees are already dominating ,they are so talented.TV rights and advertising is already paying for the competition, the gate takings are barely relevant.Do you really think the AFL would continue with AFLW if they weren't making money from it or see it as financially viable in the near future? It will take a couple of years for the expansion teams to catch up. There will always be clubs that struggle from time to time just like North afl.Go watch the replay of Collingwood StKilda last weekend then come back and tell me you didn't enjoy it and I'll call you a liar.

I have not watched ANY Swans games. I'm in Victoria.....the Swans are NOT prioritised down here but I have watched many other AFLW games and I just get frustrated frankly....on so many levels.

How are the ratings for AFLW? Are advertisers going to continue to keep lining up?

Of course, some games are going to attract a crowd. The first SA 'showdown' was always going to attract interest with Erin playing against her old side....and Port got thrashed. Let's see how many are at the next Port game shall we?

There has been games with less than a thousand spectators.....quite a few. That is NOT sustainable. TV rights are only high because of the men's game....so it will be the men's game subsidising the women's game, won't it.

[KTigers]

I'm sure things have improved now but in 2008 in the Sydney City Juniors comp once girls were thirteen they weren't allowed to
play in mixed teams, and as there was no girls U14 comp then they had to "retire" from competitive football. This happened to a
number of girls at the junior club my sons were at. If there had been comps for girls 13 and over then some of those girls might
have been playing in the AFLW now, with at least a similar long term grounding and playing time and experience to what the
boys got. In other words, there needed to be pathway then to get the fruits of it now.

[aardvark]

I have not watched ANY Swans games. I'm in Victoria.....the Swans are NOT prioritised down here but I have watched many other AFLW games and I just get frustrated frankly....on so many levels.

How are the ratings for AFLW? Are advertisers going to continue to keep lining up?

Of course, some games are going to attract a crowd. The first SA 'showdown' was always going to attract interest with Erin playing against her old side....and Port got thrashed. Let's see how many are at the next Port game shall we?

There has been games with less than a thousand spectators.....quite a few. That is NOT sustainable. TV rights are only high because of the men's game....so it will be the men's game subsidising the women's game, won't it.

AFLW will be here long after you and I are gone from this earth. Who pays for it is irrelevant. In 2-3 years the expansion clubs will have caught up talent wise. AFLW is in it's 7th season so I'm guessing crowds under 1000 must be sustainable and the Advertisers keep lining up or the AFLW wouldn't exist.

[aardvark]

What are your thoughts on the length of the ground?

Whitten oval was shortened by about 20 meters for AFLW games before the current redevelopment and my own personal opinion is it didn't make much difference. This season the games at Marvel/MCG/ Adelaide oval/ Metricon seem to be more free flowing than previously but that probably has more to do with the skills improvement and the kids that can play starting to come into the game. It is interesting that the games at Kardinia park tend to be slugfests on the narrow ground but that could just be the way Geelong play. Next season I'd like to see the lasso rule gone and boundary throw ins from the boundary line.

[aardvark]

I'm sure things have improved now but in 2008 in the Sydney City Juniors comp once girls were thirteen they weren't allowed to
play in mixed teams, and as there was no girls U14 comp then they had to "retire" from competitive football. This happened to a
number of girls at the junior club my sons were at. If there had been comps for girls 13 and over then some of those girls might
have been playing in the AFLW now, with at least a similar long term grounding and playing time and experience to what the
boys got. In other words, there needed to be pathway then to get the fruits of it now.

You'll be pleased to know there is now over 600,000 female participants Australia wide this year. Of the 83 Women drafted this year over 40 have played their first AFLW game and most of them have played through from Auskick. The next 2 years will see a flood of talented juniors through the draft who have all played through from junior years.

[Captain]

The point is that it’s hard to watch for most fans as the standard, even if improving, is ordinary. How sustainable is it? Will the AFL give it 10+ years it needs and be ok with incurring losses?

Womens tennis, golf, netball, hockey, athletics, swimming etc are so far ahead. Obviously they have been around much longer but it ain’t going to be a couple of years and a few good draft crops to make footy similar.

[aardvark]

The point is that it’s hard to watch for most fans as the standard, even if improving, is ordinary. How sustainable is it? Will the AFL give it 10+ years it needs and be ok with incurring losses?

Womens tennis, golf, netball, hockey, athletics, swimming etc are so far ahead. Obviously they have been around much longer but it ain’t going to be a couple of years and a few good draft crops to make footy similar.

I guess it comes down to your expectations. I don't watch any of those womens sports you mentioned but I never miss a footy match. If you're wanting it to be the same standard as AFL mens then you're never going to like it because that won't happen. Every season the standard has improved and will continue to do so for many years to come as better more experienced juniors come into the game.

[U.S. Swan]

I guess it comes down to your expectations. I don't watch any of those womens sports you mentioned but I never miss a footy match. If you're wanting it to be the same standard as AFL mens then you're never going to like it because that won't happen. Every season the standard has improved and will continue to do so for many years to come as better more experienced juniors come into the game.

For what it is worth, the WNBA was owned primarily by the NBA team owners for many years. They are still almost exclusively owned by owners of other sports teams. To my knowledge, no team has ever turned a profit. It has always been a tax write-off for these owners...

[Mark26]

The point is that it’s hard to watch for most fans as the standard, even if improving, is ordinary. How sustainable is it? Will the AFL give it 10+ years it needs and be ok with incurring losses?

Womens tennis, golf, netball, hockey, athletics, swimming etc are so far ahead. Obviously they have been around much longer but it ain’t going to be a couple of years and a few good draft crops to make footy similar.

As fans, we cannot ask for equal skill level or standard of play when women's football is in its infancy. Having role models for the next generation to emulate helps as does better pay which just came in. There is a big difference being paid to be a full time athlete and one where you need another job. The evolution of the AFLW will take time and shouldn't be abandoned.

There is a fantastic doco called Girls Can't Surf. It came out recently and documents the challenges women surfers have had to face over the past few decades. Some of the same sentiment espoused in this thread could have been lifted straight out of it. Fast forward to present day. Women's surfing rocks! Now I generally prefer watching women's heats over the men's.

I believe what we are seeing now - the AFLW in its present form - is the start of an exciting paradigm shift in our code. I think the standard has improved and is clearly evident when we have played existing clubs this year, like North. It's going to take time, but I believe as a supporter of the Swans and as a male, that I should get behind it. I'm supporting my club and I'm advocating something much bigger than footy.

I've watched every game this year. I've been frustrated by the skills errors and lack of discipline last week (we could have beaten those Hawks). I just wanted us to score a bloody goal yesterday. But I keep reminding myself to have patience.

I view this year as a testing ground. Our coach is playing the long game. He's rotating players through different positions and looks to be giving every one a go. The downside is evident. The upside is that we get to see who is worth persisting with. I think we are unearthing several good players and we'll go to the draft again and strengthen our squad.

It's going to be a great moment when we win our first game. Baby steps until then. Likewise, the AFLW is taking small but positive steps.

[aardvark]

It's going to be a great moment when we win our first game. Baby steps until then. Likewise, the AFLW is taking small but positive steps.

I have a nice bottle of red put aside for that day. I hope I get to drink it!

[KTigers]

For what it is worth, the WNBA was owned primarily by the NBA team owners for many years. They are still almost exclusively owned by owners of other sports teams. To my knowledge, no team has ever turned a profit. It has always been a tax write-off for these owners...

Yeah, but how much accurate info is there actually in the public domain about the profitability (or otherwise) of any of the pro teams
in the US? They are private businesses and really, it's no else's business. Does Hank Steinbrenner release the financials for the Yankees
every year? Somehow I think not.

[U.S. Swan]

As fans, we cannot ask for equal skill level or standard of play when women's football is in its infancy. Having role models for the next generation to emulate helps as does better pay which just came in. There is a big difference being paid to be a full time athlete and one where you need another job. The evolution of the AFLW will take time and shouldn't be abandoned.

There is a fantastic doco called Girls Can't Surf. It came out recently and documents the challenges women surfers have had to face over the past few decades. Some of the same sentiment espoused in this thread could have been lifted straight out of it. Fast forward to present day. Women's surfing rocks! Now I generally prefer watching women's heats over the men's.

I believe what we are seeing now - the AFLW in its present form - is the start of an exciting paradigm shift in our code. I think the standard has improved and is clearly evident when we have played existing clubs this year, like North. It's going to take time, but I believe as a supporter of the Swans and as a male, that I should get behind it. I'm supporting my club and I'm advocating something much bigger than footy.

I've watched every game this year. I've been frustrated by the skills errors and lack of discipline last week (we could have beaten those Hawks). I just wanted us to score a bloody goal yesterday. But I keep reminding myself to have patience.

I view this year as a testing ground. Our coach is playing the long game. He's rotating players through different positions and looks to be giving every one a go. The downside is evident. The upside is that we get to see who is worth persisting with. I think we are unearthing several good players and we'll go to the draft again and strengthen our squad.

It's going to be a great moment when we win our first game. Baby steps until then. Likewise, the AFLW is taking small but positive steps.

Let me ask you this...and I am not trying to be an ass. Are you ok with corporate and / or government sports subsidizing an athletic competition? For me, I have a huge problem with government sponsorship of professional sports... I believe our tax dollars are better off going to more essential resources. Likewise, I don't like corporations getting tax breaks for supporting programs where the public support just isn't there. The WNBA is the most prominent league for women's sports in the states...but the interest just isn't there. That hasn't changed in 20 years. And from what I see of AFLW on watchafl...there doesn't seem to be a lot of support...certainly in relation to the large amounts of money they spend on advertising and marketing. Is it worth the cost? (Being a seppo yank, I just may have a different mindset.)

Also, I agree about women's surfing... it is fantastic! But I don't know of football is capable of such an audience...

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Yeah, but how much accurate info is there actually in the public domain about the profitability (or otherwise) of any of the pro teams
in the US? They are private businesses and really, it's no else's business. Does Hank Steinbrenner release the financials for the Yankees
every year? Somehow I think not.

They still file tax returns with deductions and they still have a duty to accurately report to the publicly traded corporations that give them money for advertising. As do the networks that carry them. And that isn't mentioning the government owned stadiums... so it is pretty well know. Plus, and let's be honest, if they turned a profit, they would be SCREAMING about it from the mountaintops...

[barry]

It is obvious that the AFL is trying to mimic the men's comp as closely as possible. Is there enough talented women to support 18 teams?. Of course not. Should they play full length grounds. No.
But by aligning to the men's side, and the men's style, they think they can maximize interest and dollars.