Why are the Swans not bidding for the AFLW?

[bloodspirit]

Women’s team remains a priority

[bloodspirit]

Possibly the title of this thread needs to be updated. Then again, I'm not sure who apart from me reads this.

Anyway, I found this article today on Fox Sports arguing that the AFL should be cautious about expanding the AFLW competition too soon: The alarming Round 3 ladder that proves AFL can’t rush expansion (foxsports.com.au). I am unconvinced by their strongly asserted argument.

First, in general, I have come to have less confidence in Fox and the way they report stuff. I feel like they have a real slant and I neither trust nor share their agenda. For example, in the recent reporting of stories related to Heretier Lumumba and Collingwood FC, I noticed a huge disparity in the way they reported the stories compared to the ABC (which I feel is much more independent and reliable).

Second, I feel like the authors underestimate the impact of the speed that the pool of talent is growing. Women are flocking to the game since the advent of the AFLW. In addition, they are getting drafted more and more ready to play.

Third, in the case of Sydney, I am hopeful that our Academy will give us a really good base from which to start and the girls we draft from the Academy will be readier to play than draftees who haven't had access to Academies and other elite pathways. They note the advantage NMFC had with priority access to the University of Melbourne VFLW team. I doubt the Academy girls will be comparable to VFLW players because they will be younger and less proven but it still shows that priority access to a decent pool of talent can make a big difference.

Fourth, I feel like in our enthusiasm and excitement at getting an AFLW team we will be more forgiving of our AFLW team if they don't have onfield success when they are starting out compared with our established AFLM team. Fifthly, on a related point, I don't think it is exactly the same market that follow AFLW compared to AFLM. There will some overlap (diehard followers like me) but there will be others, probably mostly women, who are newly brought to the game of footy to follow AFLW. I suspect that AFLW followers may be less fickle than with AFLM because they will be more invested in supporting the cause of women's footy.

Finally, I think that AFLW has the advantage, that they face less competition for market-share in women's sport than in the saturated men's sports market. Sure you have excellent netball and cricket competitions that are established, and a decent W-League and WNBL, but other codes (like NRL) are not currently able to compete with the quality of product that AFLW can offer. I think it is the AFL's interests to push ahead and consolidate the advantage they have by grabbing the more audience and market share they can before the others catch up. It will be important to not dilute the quality of the product too much to not surrender that advantage but (a) part of that quality is having a larger competition that gives all fans of existing AFL clubs a team to follow (and, also, aspiring players greater hopes of getting a game); and (b) I have a lot of faith in the women taking up the sport with such passion and in such numbers to bridge the quality gap within just a few seasons.

[Meg]

Excellent post bloodspirit. I originally thought the AFL were increasing the number of AFLW teams too quickly. But I have changed my mind for all the reasons you have set out so clearly.

Like other Swans fans I wish we had our own AFLW team. Unfortunately the Covid effect on the Swans’ finances, and the consequent abandonment for now of the planned new training facilities, seems to have extended the timeframe for when the club will be ready.

[bloodspirit]

Thanks, Meg. Great to have someone add to the conversation! Not sure if I should even call it a conversation when it's been just me talking to myself the past nearly 4 years.

I probably wouldn't feel so strongly if we were one of the clubs with an AFLW licence and I wasn't itching for someone to barrack for. I concede there are arguments both ways and I'm not well informed.

I also agree that Covid has set the cause back. We're not going to be able to bid for an AFLW licence until we have the facilities, and unless the club comes up with another plan, that means until the Royal Hall of Industries development gets back on track. I'd say 2023 is now the soonest we can hope for. Sad for the girls in the Academy if they graduate before then and hold hopes of playing AFLW in Sydney. Conversely, it will be a windfall for the rest of the AFLW, especially GWS. They will be able to swoop down on all the talent we have been nurturing! The AGM must be coming up some time soon. Hopefully we'll find out more then.