AFLW

[aardvark]

I heard Daisy Pearce interviewed recently and she seemed to think it likely that there will be 8 teams playing home and away rounds starting in November 2017 with a final 4 finishing in the vacant week before the Men's Rnd 1. In my opinion Womens AFL is the best thing to happen to this country for years. It can't start again soon enough in my book.

[Mug Punter]

I feel sorry for netball who has the very best players from around the globe playing in Super Netball which has struggled to gain press against a comp where the skills are poor with many of the players only taking it up recently. I genuinely enjoyed the AFLW season but it was first and foremost a victory for the AFL PR and Advertising machine.

The challenge now is to build a sport that is devoid of novelty value (spare me the endless lesbian couple statements) and built on elite skill level. Let's see how season 2 goes but I agree Season 1 has been an overwhelming success. I'd expand the comp to two teams (an extra Melbourne side and one in Geelong) and leave it at that until the skill level increases to a decent level.

As for those people clamouring for a second team I think it is worth noting that Sydney currently has only 22 senior women's sides, i.e.approx 500 players out a national participation of 380,000 of whom I suspect many are new players trying out the sport on the back of the recent publicity. It's na?ve to suggest we could add a second team any time soon given how dreadfully poor GWS were.

I suspect sports like netball are be glad of the general increase in awareness of women's sport but are also very wary of the AFL's power, they may well be regretting handing over the two expansion licences to AFL teams imo....

[Hotpotato]

The Open Mike with Erin Phillips , her Dad , Mike and his daughter Kate (as an interviewer) was outstanding . Try to see it.

Erin gets $8k per season to play AFLW , however if she's injured playing footy her contract of $110k per annum playing Basketball is torn up!
The whole Erin story was fantastic .

[aardvark]

Latest from Andrew Ireland......Swans eye AFLW side - sydneyswans.com.au

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The Open Mike with Erin Phillips , her Dad , Mike and his daughter Kate (as an interviewer) was outstanding . Try to see it.

Erin gets $8k per season to play AFLW , however if she's injured playing footy her contract of $110k per annum playing Basketball is torn up!
The whole Erin story was fantastic .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsSJZjdB15k

[Meg]

Thanks aardvark, good comments from Ireland. And I've now watched the Phillipsx2 Open Mike - very interesting!

[bomber.]

There have been some great suggestions for the AFLW comp next year including not having it overlap with the men's season and giving it prominence ahead of the JLT series. However, one that I am less sold on is the suggestion that the games should not be free because it 'devalues' the women's game. I don't agree with this at all. I'd be curious what the players think. I think it is great to attract the best crowds possible and keeping the community spirit and this is what free admission does. While I agree at some stage admission will and should be charged it is normal business practice to have a period of 'loss leading' while you are building the business. I think improving the players' pay is more important than charging admission but the two don't have to be linked. Better crowds makes for a more attractive product which, I daresay, would be more marketable on TV, which is where the greater money is going to come from to start off with. It's also great to get more footy in that period which is otherwise a bit of a frustrating period waiting for the footy season to properly resume.

Initiating the AFLW is the best thing the AFL has done for years. There was definitely some novelty interest this season, but there was also a lot of very genuine footy interest.

Agree that the AFL needs to keep entry free to help build grass roots support and there's not doubt a good crowd atmosphere makes the game better to watch on TV. Plenty of time for paying for tickets once demand has built up.

Also some things that I reckon need to be looked at to improve the game.

16 players didn't work. Apart from the extra work load on players and the impact on run, only having 16 players cuts the number of outside players and some games turned into rolling mauls as a result. With 18 players, the extra's won't be in the contest and will help with outside options, as well as with running intensity. This has to open the game up and help with scoring.

Using a size 4 ball doesn't help either. Anyone who has kicked different sized footballs knows that although the smaller balls look like they travel, a full sized ball will travel metres further. The extra distance from a bigger ball has to help a bit with scoring and with opening the game up. I don't buy the argument either that the smaller average hand size of women means they need a smaller ball. 14/15 year old boys use a full size ball with and the players in the AFLW are elite sports people, so they'd have no problems.

The AFL and those associated also need to treat the AFLW as an elite competition in all regards, including by ensuring the game gets the best umpires and commentators. Some of the umpiring this season was bewildering and detracted from the spectacle and some of the commentary wasn't at the level required to develop the product.

Plenty to work on, but a great start and looking forward to AFLW 2.

[aardvark]

AFL Canberra junior numbers return to glory days on back of AFL Women's success

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/womens-afl/afl-victorias-darren-flanigan-says-a-bumper-draft-crop-eligible-in-2019-justifies-holding-back-aflw-expansion/news-story/b724deb5bb7e82602c1ea22cdb44079d

[Meg]

Thanks for link aardvark, good story. Go girls!

[aardvark]

Here's an interesting vid. The first ever AFL womens game in Asia.

LiveStreaming: WOMEN'S MATCH | 2016 AFL Asian Championships - YouTube

Anyone recognize the boundary ump? Bradley Seymour esq.

[bloodspirit]

I feel sorry for netball who has the very best players from around the globe playing in Super Netball which has struggled to gain press against a comp where the skills are poor with many of the players only taking it up recently. I genuinely enjoyed the AFLW season but it was first and foremost a victory for the AFL PR and Advertising machine.

The first time I read this comment I didn't have any idea what you were talking about and didn't much care. However, the other day I caught a glimpse of the netball on TV and it was amazing. Those athletes really do have sensational skills and athleticism (I would have to say better than AFLW - at this stage and on average) and, yet, like you, I can certainly seeing it lose out to AFLW. Then again maybe a win for women's sport is a win for women's sport in general? I don't know. Have the netball people spoken out about this?

[dimelb]

The first time I read this comment I didn't have any idea what you were talking about and didn't much care. However, the other day I caught a glimpse of the netball on TV and it was amazing. Those athletes really do have sensational skills and athleticism (I would have to say better than AFLW - at this stage and on average) and, yet, like you, I can certainly seeing it lose out to AFLW. Then again maybe a win for women's sport is a win for women's sport in general? I don't know. Have the netball people spoken out about this?

Perhaps we could borrow their time - or better, pay for it - to teach our blokes how to land on their feet after a jump.

The advantage of netball (and basketball) over AFL is its "made for television" court size. The games certainly are great watching. I wonder how high are their ratings.

The other question is whether the AFL will charge for entry and how it will affect the crowds if they do.

[aardvark]

12,500 new female players in 500 new teams in Victoria this year. Auskick up 20%. The revolution is here.

[dimelb]

12,500 new female players in 500 new teams in Victoria this year. Auskick up 20%. The revolution is here.

Truly remarkable numbers.

[Mug Punter]

The first time I read this comment I didn't have any idea what you were talking about and didn't much care. However, the other day I caught a glimpse of the netball on TV and it was amazing. Those athletes really do have sensational skills and athleticism (I would have to say better than AFLW - at this stage and on average) and, yet, like you, I can certainly seeing it lose out to AFLW. Then again maybe a win for women's sport is a win for women's sport in general? I don't know. Have the netball people spoken out about this?

I spoke to a very senior netball person a few weeks ago and she didn't seem concerned. Her opinion was that the general increase of the women's sports pie was bigger than the threat, and she was a bit dismissive of the AFLW to be honest.

I can see the bigger pie argument but I'd dismiss AFLW as a direct competitor at their peril if I was Netball, Women's AFL is really a new entrant into the female sports landscape. Sure they will bring new participants in but I think they will naturally poach female athletes that previously would have chosen netball and I think that commercially they have already been beaten. Not to mention the current Boardroom Shenanigans at Netball Australia

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The other question is whether the AFL will charge for entry and how it will affect the crowds if they do.

I think it will be free for at least another season,

I'd like to see a notional entry fee, say $5 for adults or $10 for a family, with all proceeds going directly into grassroots womens AFL programmes

[aardvark]

AFL Women's set for expansion in 2019 - AFL.com.au

All the other 10 teams can apply for 2019 with preference given to the 5 clubs with provisional licenses.
I'm not holding my breath but I hope the Swans have their problems sorted in time to submit. I'm really looking forward to a Swans AFLW team to support.