AFL Women's

AFL Women's
Most recent season or competition:
2018 AFL Women's season
Sport Australian rules football
Founded 15 September 2016,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Inaugural season 2017
CEO Nicole Livingstone
No. of teams 8
Country Australia
Headquarters Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Most recent
champion(s)		 Western Bulldogs
Most titles Adelaide and Western Bulldogs (1 AFLW premiership each)
TV partner(s)
Sponsor(s) NAB
Related
competitions		 Australian Football League
Official website womens.afl

AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league began in February 2017 with eight teams. The league is run by the Australian Football League (AFL) and is contested by a subset of clubs from that competition. The reigning premiers are the Western Bulldogs.

History

Establishment

In 2010 the Australian Football League commissioned a report into the state of women's football around the country.[1] Along with findings concerning grassroots and junior football, the report recommended the AFL Commission begin working toward the establishment of a national women's league. While the option of new stand-alone clubs was considered, a model utilising the resources and branding of existing AFL clubs was to be the preferred model for the planned league.[2]

The first on-field step towards the competition took place in 2013, when the AFL announced an exhibition match to be played between women's teams representing Melbourne and Western Bulldogs later that year.

On 15 May 2013, the first women's draft was held, establishing the playing lists for the two clubs in the forthcoming exhibition match.[3] The match was played on 29 June 2013 and marked the first time two women's sides had competed under the banners of AFL clubs. The exhibition series was repeated with one game between the clubs in 2014 and two in 2015, the last of which, played on 16 August 2015, was broadcast on free-to-air television and attracted strong ratings.

The success of these series prompted the AFL to accelerate its plans for a nationwide women's competition, announcing a preferred start date of 2017.[4] Prior to this, the league had announced only aspirational plans to have the women's competition established by the end of the 2010s. The already-planned 2016 exhibition series was expanded at this time, with a total of ten matches to be played in venues across the country and featuring a range of new temporary representative teams.[5]

In 2016, the AFL opened a process for existing clubs to tender applications to join the new competition. The eighteen senior clubs in the Australian Football League had until 29 April 2016 to place a bid for a licence, with thirteen clubs making bids. The AFL's preferred distribution of clubs was four clubs from Victoria and one each from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.[6]

The inaugural teams were announced on 8 June 2016. As the only teams to bid in their respective states, Adelaide, Brisbane and Greater Western Sydney were granted licences to compete in 2017.[7] Both Western Australian clubs made bids, with Fremantle's bid chosen ahead of West Coast's. Eight Victorian clubs made bids: Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Carlton and Collingwood were successful, with Geelong, North Melbourne, Richmond and St Kilda unsuccessful. All five unsuccessful bidders were granted provisional licences.[8]

Details about the branding of the league were released in the second half of 2016. The AFL announced that the league would be named "AFL Women's" on 15 September 2016, with the logo being unveiled on 19 September 2016.[9][10] The logo is a stylised rendition of an Australian rules football ground goal square and goal posts, drawn from a perspective which shows a "W".[10] On 10 October 2016, the National Australia Bank was named as the league's naming rights sponsor.[11]

Carlton and Collingwood players contest the first ball-up in the inaugural AFL Women's match in February 2017. The match was played before a lockout crowd of 24,568 - the highest attendance of the inaugural season.

The first premiership game was played on Friday, 3 February 2017, and the inaugural season concluded with the grand final on Saturday, 25 March. Adelaide were the league's first premiers.

Expansion (2019–20)

Expansion of the competition is scheduled to first occur in 2019 and then again in 2020. By the end of 2020, the competition will grow by 6 teams, to include 14 teams in total. The ten AFL clubs not originally participating in the competition were invited to bid for inclusion, with priority given to the five clubs that unsuccessfully bid to participate in the inaugural season.[12] The deadline to lodge submissions was 16 June 2017. The only clubs not to bid were Port Adelaide and Sydney.[13] North Melbourne worked with AFL Tasmania to craft its bid, with the club aiming to play home matches in Melbourne, Hobart and Launceston, and has a target to select half of the playing list from Tasmania.[14][15] A final decision on which clubs are admitted to the competition was expected by the end of July 2017 but was delayed several times to September 2017.[13][16][17]

On 27 September 2017, the AFL announced that North Melbourne and Geelong had been selected to come into the competition in 2019.[18] North Melbourne retained its commitment to playing matches in Tasmania.[19] The league will then expand an additional four teams beginning in 2020, with the AFL selecting West Coast, Richmond, Gold Coast and St Kilda to join the competition.[18][19] The growth in clubs was accompanied by the introduction of American-style conferences for the 2019 season, further details of which can be found in the season structure section of this article.

Expansion of AFL Women's
Club Entry in 2017 Entry in 2019/20
Placed
bid		 Granted
entry		 Placed
bid		 Granted entry
2019 2020
AdelaideYesYesN/A
Brisbane LionsYesYesN/A
CarltonYesYesN/A
CollingwoodYesYesN/A
EssendonNoN/AYesNoNo
FremantleYesYesN/A
GeelongYesNoYesYesN/A
Gold CoastNoN/AYesNoYes
Greater Western SydneyYesYesN/A
HawthornNoN/AYesNoNo
MelbourneYesYesN/A
North MelbourneYesNoYesYesN/A
Port AdelaideNoN/ANoN/A
RichmondYesNoYesNoYes
St KildaYesNoYesNoYes
SydneyNoN/ANoN/A
West CoastYesNoYesNoYes
Western BulldogsYesYesN/A

Clubs

AFL Women's operates on a single table system, with no divisions, conferences nor promotion and relegation from other leagues.

The competition's 8 teams are based across 5 states of Australia. Half are based in the Melbourne metropolitan area. The states of New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia have one team each. Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, and Northern Territory are the only states or mainland territories not to have AFL Women's clubs. Six clubs will be added to the competition in 2019 and 2020, three of which come from Victoria (Geelong, St Kilda and Richmond), one a joint bid from both Victoria and Tasmania (North Melbourne), one from Queensland (Gold Coast) and one from Western Australia (West Coast).

Current clubs

Club Moniker State Est. First exhibition
series		 Joined
league		 Coach
Adelaide Crows South Australia 1990 2017 Matthew Clarke
Brisbane Lions Queensland 1996 2016 2017 Craig Starcevich
Carlton Blues Victoria 1864 2017 Daniel Harford
Collingwood Magpies Victoria 1892 2017 Wayne Siekman
Fremantle Dockers Western Australia 1994 2016 2017 Position vacant
Greater Western Sydney Giants New South Wales 2009 2016 2017 Alan McConnell
Melbourne Demons Victoria 1858 2013 2017 Mick Stinear
Western Bulldogs Bulldogs Victoria 1877 2013 2017 Paul Groves

Future clubs

Club Moniker State Est. First exhibition
series		 Joining
league		 Coach
Geelong Cats Victoria 1859 2019 Paul Hood[20]
Gold Coast Suns Queensland 2009 2016 2020 TBD
North Melbourne Kangaroos Victoria & Tasmania 1869 2019 Scott Gowans[21]
Richmond Tigers Victoria 1885 2020 TBD
St Kilda Saints Victoria 1873 2020 TBD
West Coast Eagles Western Australia 1986 2016 2020 TBD

Venues

Below are the venues that were used during the 2018 AFL Women's season.

Stadium/Ground City Host club(s) Capacity
Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney, New South Wales Greater Western Sydney 10,000
Casey Fields Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne 12,000
Drummoyne Oval Sydney, New South Wales Greater Western Sydney 5,000
Fremantle Oval Perth, Western Australia Fremantle 17,500
Ikon Park Melbourne, Victoria Carlton 24,568
Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane 8,000
Norwood Oval Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide 22,000
Olympic Park Oval Melbourne, Victoria Collingwood 3,000
Optus Stadium Perth, Western Australia Fremantle 60,000
South Pine Sports Complex Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane 3,000
Ted Summerton Reserve Moe, Victoria Collingwood 7,500
TIO Stadium Darwin, Northern Territory Adelaide 12,000
TIO Traeger Park Alice Springs, Northern Territory Melbourne 10,000
UNSW Canberra Oval Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Greater Western Sydney 16,000
VU Whitten Oval Melbourne, Victoria Western Bulldogs 12,000

Players

Melbourne's Elise O'Dea evades Hannah Scott of the Western Bulldogs in round 3, 2017

The club's playing lists were constructed from scratch through the later stages of 2016. All participants in the 2017 season are required to be over the age of 17.

Initially, clubs were asked to nominate a list of desired players, with the AFL assigning two of these "marquee" players to each club. In addition, clubs were able to sign a number of players with existing connections to the club, or with arrangements for club sponsored work or study.[22][23][24] This number varied for each club, in an attempt to equitably spread talent across the teams. In addition, clubs were required to recruit two "rookies" - people with no Australian rules football experience in the previous three-year period. The majority of players were later recruited through the 2016 AFL Women's draft.[25] The balance of list spots was filled with free-agent signings in the week following the draft. In total clubs have a 27 active listed players in addition to injury replacements signed to take the spot of long-term injury affected players.

Salary

2017

In 2017 the players salary was managed and paid in full by the AFL on behalf of the clubs. A pay deal struck between the league and the AFLPA in November 2016 set the season payment structure as follows:[26]

Marquee players Priority players Other players
2017 $27,000 $12,000 $8,500

Players were contracted for nine hours of training and meetings at their clubs per week and the base payments were calculated pro-rata based on the hourly rate of rookie AFL players of $29.32.[27] In addition, players are provided with playing boots and runners, an interstate travel allowance, income insurance, out-of-pocket medical expense coverage and an allowance to pay for a carer for a child under 12 months of age when travelling interstate.[26][28]

Total payments in 2017 totalled $2.275 million[26]

The league was initially criticised for its offer of players salaries. Under the first offer, the base salary would be $5,000 for most players, and $10,000 for marquee players. While the pay was extremely low in comparison to AFL players, it also did not cover equipment, travel expenses, or relocation to their club if interstate for the pre-season and duration of the season. The AFL defended its offer by noting that the league (at the time) had no sponsorship or TV rights deals.[29][30]

2018

A new deal for player payments in the 2018 season was struck on 2 November 2017. Under the new 24 week contracts, players would see base salary raises of more than 17% but would now be required to commit 13 to 15 hours per week for training and meetings during pre-season and 10 hours during the season in addition to match day hours. The tiered structure was re-branded, with the four tiers and their season salary outlined below:[31][32]

Tier one Tier two Base wage Rookie list
2018 $20,000 $14,500 $10,500 $8,500

In addition, clubs will have a marketing budget of $40,000 to which they can allocate to between four and eight players with a minimum of $5000 and maximum of $10,000 per player. Total player payments under this deal will be up $477,000 from the year before to $2.752 million in 2018.[33]

Season structure

Pre-season

Prior to the commencement of the home-and-away season teams are paired off to play an exhibition trial match. In 2017 these matches took place during varying weeks of January.

Premiership season

For at least the 2019 season, the AFL Women's home-and-away season employs conferences, a concept not common in Australian sports.[34]

The ten teams are split into two conferences of five and each team plays seven regular season matches, four against their fellow conference competitors and three "cross-over" matches against teams from the other conference. This retains the seven-match regular season employed for the first two seasons of the competition, though means not all teams play each other at least once.[34] The season commences in the first weekend of February and ends in late March. Teams receive four premiership points for a win and two premiership points for a draw. Respective conference finishing positions are based on the number of premiership points won, and "percentage" (calculated as the ratio of points scored to points conceded throughout the season) is used as a tie-breaker when teams finish with equal premiership points.[35]

For the first two seasons of competition, the home-and-away season was operated on a single table and seven matches were played by each of the eight teams.

Finals series

After 2019, four teams have qualified for an end-of-season finals series, to determine the premiers. The top two teams from the respective conferences qualify to the preliminary finals, with the first-ranked team in Conference A meeting the second-ranked team in Conference B and the opposite employed for the other preliminary final. The winners of those matches then meet in the Grand Final, though the AFL is yet to clarify if hosting rights for the Grand Final can be earned by one of the participants or will simply be assigned to one of the clubs by the league.[35]

For the first two seasons of competition, the two highest place teams at the conclusion of the home-and-away season qualified for the Grand Final match, in the absence of a proper finals series.

Awards

The following major individual awards and accolades are presented each season:[36]

  • Best & Fairest Trophy - to the fairest and best player in the league, voted by the umpires
  • Leading Goalkicker Award - to the player who kicks the most goals during the home-and-away season
  • All-Australian Team - a squad of 22 players deemed the best in their positions, voted by an AFL-appointed committee
  • Rising Star Award - to the fairest and best young player under the age of 21 as at the start of the calendar year, voted by the AFL-appointed All-Australian committee
  • Grand Final Best on Ground Award - the best player on the ground in the Grand Final, voted by a committee of media members

Media coverage

Television

In its inaugural season all matches will be televised live by affiliate partners the Seven Network and Fox Footy.[37] As part of the initial broadcast deal the free-to-air carrier Seven will show one Saturday night game per week as standard in addition to the league's opening match and Grand Final. Meanwhile, pay TV network Fox Footy will televise all premiership season matches including simulcasts of the Seven-hosted matches other than the Grand Final.[38] Under the current arrangement the two television networks will cover the costs of broadcasting these matches with no licensing fee to be paid to the league in exchange.[39]

Online

The official internet/mobile broadcast partner of the AFL is BigPond, part of Telstra. The company hosts the league website as well as those of each of the eight participation clubs. The AFL has retained digital broadcast rights to matches in the league's inaugural season and will stream all matches live and free on the league website and mobile app.[39]

Outside Australia, the inaugural season is available on Watch AFL.[40]

Corporate relations

Sponsorship

The National Australia Bank is the league's current and inaugural naming rights partner.[41]

All playing and training equipment as well as all licensed apparel and hats for the league's eight clubs are manufactured by COAR, a division of Cotton On.[42]

Other league sponsors include Wolf Blass, Chemist Warehouse and Kellogg's.[43][44][45]

The official ball supplier is Sherrin.[46]

Merchandising

Official match day attire together with other club merchandise is sold through the AFL's stores and website as well through the clubs and through some retailers.

Women's exhibition games (2013–2016)

Prior to the creation of the league, the AFL ran four years of exhibition matches between sides representing Melbourne and Western Bulldogs. In 2016, the series was expanded to multiple teams from around the country.

2013 exhibition game
Sunday, 30 June Melbourne 8.5 (53) def. Western Bulldogs 3.3 (21) MCG (crowd: 7,500) Match report


2014 exhibition game
Sunday, 29 June Western Bulldogs 4.2 (26) def. by Melbourne 10.12 (72) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 24,953 (D/H)) Match report


2015 exhibition series
Sunday, 24 May Melbourne 4.13 (37) def. Western Bulldogs 4.5 (29) MCG (crowd: 29,381 (D/H)) Match report
Sunday, 16 August Western Bulldogs 5.6 (36) def. by Melbourne 6.4 (40) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 27,805 (D/H)) Match report


2016 exhibition series
Sunday, 2 March Melbourne 3.3 (21) def. by Western Bulldogs 6.5 (41) Highgate Recreational Reserve Match report
Saturday, 2 April SANFL Blue 5.4 (34) def. SANFL Red 5.2 (32) Adelaide Oval (crowd: 51,585 (D/H)) Match report
Saturday, 9 April Sydney 9.8 (62) def. Greater Western Sydney 5.3 (33) SCG (crowd: 37,045 (D/H)) Match report
Saturday, 9 April West Coast 13.10 (88) def. Fremantle 3.5 (23) Domain Stadium (crowd: 40,555 (D/H)) Match report
Sunday, 10 April Northern Territory 13.11 (89) def. Tasmania 7.11 (53) Peanut Reserve Match report
Saturday, 16 April Brisbane 5.8 (38) def. Gold Coast 3.6 (24) Gabba (crowd: 20,041 (D/H)) Match report
Sunday, 22 May Melbourne 14.7 (91) def. Brisbane 3.2 (20) MCG (crowd: 26,892 (D/H)) Match report
Sunday, 5 June Western Bulldogs 8.5 (53) def. Western Australia 5.10 (40) Etihad Stadium (crowd: 28,769 (D/H)) Match report
Sunday, 5 June South Australia 4.3 (27) def. NSW/ACT 3.7 (25) Adelaide Oval (crowd: 40,896 (D/H)) Match report
Saturday, 3 September Western Bulldogs 14.6 (90) def. Melbourne 7.9 (51) Whitten Oval (crowd: 6,365) Match report

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Review could lead to AFL women's league". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Cheryl Critchley; Michael Warner (22 March 2010). "Sam Newman weighs into debate on female footy". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  3. ↑ Twomey, Callum (16 May 2013). "Pearce the first pick in AFL's inaugural women's draft". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  4. ↑ Gorr, Libbi; Goswell, Gus (18 February 2016). "AFL promises 2017 women's competition as eager starters call for more details". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  5. ↑ "AFL announces 10-match national women's exhibition series to be played in 2016". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Matthews, Bruce (29 April 2016). "Decision time as 13 clubs want women's team". Australian Football League.
  7. ↑ Women's league bidding heating up, with teams scrambling for licenses
  8. ↑ Matthews, Bruce (15 June 2016). "Eight teams named for inaugural women's league". Australian Football League. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "AFL announces name for inaugural women's competition". Australian Football League. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Logo revealed for new AFL Women's competition". Australian Football League. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  11. ↑ Gaskin, Lee (10 October 2016). "NAB signs on as AFL Women's League naming-rights sponsor". Australian Football League. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  12. ↑ Phelan, Jennifer (9 May 2017). "AFL Women's set for expansion in 2019". Australian Football League.
  13. 1 2 "Eight clubs submit bids for AFLW in 2019". afl.com.au. Australian Football League. 16 June 2017.
  14. ↑ McGowan, Marc (16 June 2017). "Roos and Tasmania combine for AFLW bid". afl.com.au. Australian Football League.
  15. ↑ "North's AFLW proposal". nmfc.com.au. North Melbourne Football Club. 16 June 2017.
  16. ↑ "Can you believe it? Less than 48 hours until AFLW makes its next little piece of history! Get set for new teams in 2019!!!". Instagram. Australian Football League. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  17. ↑ Schmook, Nathan (29 August 2017). "Decision on AFLW expansion delayed". Australian Football League.
  18. 1 2 "North and Geelong win AFLW expansion race". Australian Football League. 27 September 2017.
  19. 1 2 "AFLW: Tasmania-North Melbourne and Geelong win licenses to field teams in 2019". ABC News. 27 September 2017.
  20. ↑ "Cats unveil AFLW coach for 2019". AFL Media. Telstra Media. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  21. ↑ "Scott Gowans appointed North AFLW coach". North Melbourne Football Club. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  22. ↑ Bruce Matthews (21 March 2016). "Women to kick-off 2017 with two-month season". Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  23. ↑ Grant Baker; Eliza Sewell (15 June 2016). "AFL National Women's League: Marquee system aims to spread the talent across eight licensed clubs". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  24. ↑ Matthews, Bruce (20 August 2016). "Meg Hutchins joins Pies under new women's priority pick rules". Australian Football League. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  25. ↑ "Women's draft nominations open". Melbourne Football Club. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  26. 1 2 3 "AFL Women's payment terms agreed". AFL Media. Bigpond. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  27. ↑ Eliza, Sewell (24 May 2017). "AFLPA pushes for pay rise for AFLW players ahead of 2018 season". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  28. ↑ "Women's AFL pay deal gets tick of approval from players association". ABC News. 10 November 2016.
  29. ↑ Erin Riley (31 August 2016). "There is no defence for failing to pay players in the AFL women's league a living wage". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  30. ↑ Eliza Sewell (21 September 2016). "AFL Women's competition players seeking pay increase on all levels". Herald Sun.
  31. ↑ Sewell, Eliza (2 November 2017). "AFL agrees to new deal that will see every AFLW player earn more in season two of competition". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  32. ↑ "AFLW players earn new pay deal for 2018". ABC News. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  33. ↑ Wilson, Caroline (2 November 2017). "AFLW players to share an extra $500,000 next season". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  34. 1 2 "AFLW introduces US-style conferences but teams still won't play every other team". ABC News. 7 September 2018.
  35. 1 2 "AFLW 2019: How the conference system works". AFL.com.au. 7 September 2018.
  36. ↑ Guthrie, Ben (1 February 2017). "AFLW awards revealed ... but titles on hold". AFL Media. Bigpond. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  37. ↑ Australian Associated Press (9 December 2016). "Every AFL Women's game to be televised as 2017 fixtures are released". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  38. ↑ Wright, Patrick (9 December 2016). "AFL women's competition: Fixture released, all games to be broadcast on TV". ABC.com.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  39. 1 2 Schmook, Nathan (8 December 2016). "First AFLW Grand Final to be held during round one". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  40. ↑ "Aussie Rules TV Schedules for 2017 for USA, Canada, and Mexico". www.afana.com. Australian Football Association of North America. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  41. ↑ Gaskin, Lee (10 October 2016). "NAB signs on as AFL Women's League naming-rights sponsor". AFL Media. Bigpond. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  42. ↑ Navaratnam, Dinny (10 November 2016). "New uniforms unveiled for AFL Women's comp". AFL Media. Bigpond. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  43. ↑ Connolly, Eoin (11 January 2017). "Wednesday's Daily Deal Round-Up: Boxing and much more". SportsPro. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  44. ↑ "Wolf Blass to sponsor AFL Women's League". Mumbrella. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  45. ↑ Faloyin, Dipo (31 January 2017). "Kellogg's to sponsor inaugural AFL Women's League". SportsPro. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  46. ↑ https://www.sherrin.com.au/
  47. ↑ First bounce for women's footy at the MCG
  48. ↑ Di Giorgio, Giulio (4 September 2016). "Women's All-Stars game a ratings smash". Australian Football League. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
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