Club Mgmt. We finally got an AFLW license!!! - Season starts last weekend of August

[Lore]

Dons' defining day: AFLW licence granted
Essendon Football Club has today become truly whole, with the AFL Commission granting an AFLW licence for the Bombers to join the national women’s competition for the 2022/2023 season onwards.

The AFL announced Essendon, Hawthorn, Sydney and Port Adelaide as the remaining clubs to secure licences after reviewing the Bombers’ formal submission document presented to the AFL Commission in early July.

President Paul Brasher said it was a defining day in the history of the Essendon Football Club.

“We are a football club with a proud, rich, diverse, inclusive and successful history, but today, the Essendon Football Club becomes whole. Today is a landmark day for the red and black,” Brasher said.

“We have never been better positioned to enter the AFLW competition and on behalf of the club, I wish to thank Richard Goyder and the AFL Commission for reaching this outcome.

“Likewise, I wish to thank the many staff within our own organisation who have worked tirelessly on not only this submission but through their contribution in ensuring strong foundations have been laid across our club and VFLW program over a number of years. We have particularly drawn inspiration from the players in our VFLW team during that period.

“Through our commitment to growing the game and establishing pathways across Melbourne’s northern corridor and the Northern Territory, through our relationship with Calder Cannons and our NGA programs and our flagship First Nation’s Women’s Pathway Program, we believe we will have the emerging talent to underpin the list profile for our AFLW team.

“With our bespoke AFLW facilities now completed at the NEC Hangar, and with our long-term vision of AFLW games being played at Windy Hill, our impact in the AFLW competition will only be further strengthened.

“We again thank the Victorian State Government for their support in establishing these facilities and their ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for women to participate in our great game of AFL at every level.

“Finally, every young Bomber – boy or girl – can dream of one day representing the mighty red and black, and for us this is exactly why our football club is now truly whole.”

Dons' defining day: AFLW licence granted

Essendon has been granted a licence to join the AFLW in 2022.

www.essendonfc.com.au

 

[eth-dog]

Ruby Svarc is off to Brisbane AFLW. Not sure there's a general Essendon thread for the women's footy side?

Still think the club dropped the ball in not getting behind women's footy. Wonder if they made any cash off of the Esports.

Lovely girl Ruby. Played for my local club before getting picked up by our VFLW side.

 

[carnthedons]

Pffft! The club can't even manage one footy department, let alone the women's as well. Maybe put a fork in the men's completely and start all over again with the women's. Andrea McGrath for Captain.

 

[The Prosecutor]

View attachment 979322

I am Lorde ya ya ya

 

[yodellinhank]

Inclusive sport key to belonging for people with autism | Special Olympics Australia

www.specialolympics.com.au

Elise Muller, Essendon VFL footballer talking inclusion in sport. Hopefully going around for us again? She sounds like a real asset for the club to have.

 

[11kgm]

Women's football will have taken more of a hit this year then mens but I hope we get a team soon

 

[Lore]

NEC Hangar expansion: Vision for women's footy coming to life

Essendon will soon have the best women's football facilities in the country.

www.essendonfc.com.au

 

[yodellinhank]

Important step.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

I love the idea of Essendon getting involved and all but the womens league is absolute rubbish viewing.

such Little talent spread over so many teams is not good viewing.

But I guess you have to start somewhere to build up the skills.

 

[LB#16]

2022 previously reported as unlikely. Whether they announce their 2023 plans remains to be seen.

 

[Lore]

I wonder what Sheedy would do with it if he were unleashed on the AFLW. Seems to be more focused on our AFL team atm but if we had an AFLW team..

 

[eth-dog]

Confirmed that the AFL are expanding it fully for 2023.

 

[Lore]

AFLW Latest News - AFL.com.au/aflw

Latest breaking AFLW news from the official website of the Australian Football League.

womens.afl

December to mid-March with 10 rounds and three weeks of finals for the 2021-22 season, no overlap with the AFL season. I wonder if 18 teams will mean 17 rounds or if they’ll do that silly conferencing thing in 2022-23

 

[eth-dog]

AFLW Latest News - AFL.com.au/aflw

Latest breaking AFLW news from the official website of the Australian Football League.

womens.afl

December to mid-March with 10 rounds and three weeks of finals for the 2021-22 season, no overlap with the AFL season. I wonder if 18 teams will mean 17 rounds or if they’ll do that silly conferencing thing in 2022-23

I suspect the latter, unless they move it to winter.

 

[Zach Package]

This is great for us but an absolute dog’s breakfast in terms of the standard, player movement, the player pool and pretty much everything else

 

[Lore]

I suspect the latter, unless they move it to winter.

If I counted right, you could do 17 rounds and 3 weeks of finals (bye for Christmas weekend) from 24 October 2021 to March 13 2022. If the AFL season ends at the end of September that would mean AFLW Round 1 would be halfway between trade week and the draft.

I'm not sure how that would go with pre-season starting while state level comps are in finals though, especially if you play VFLW and also for Brisbane in the AFLW or something.

 

[eth-dog]

If I counted right, you could do 17 rounds and 3 weeks of finals (bye for Christmas weekend) from 24 October 2021 to March 13 2022. If the AFL season ends at the end of September that would mean AFLW Round 1 would be halfway between trade week and the draft.

I'm not sure how that would go with pre-season starting while state level comps are in finals though, especially if you play VFLW and also for Brisbane in the AFLW or something.

And there's cricket as well

 

[Lore]

This is great for us but an absolute dog’s breakfast in terms of the standard, player movement, the player pool and pretty much everything else

The standard will drop back to probably AFLW c. 2016 but they'll gain a pile of new money and sponsorships, more eyeballs, rations, broadcast money etc. with more teams funnelling into grassroots development, ultimately it's a short-term sacrifice as far as the league is concerned. Girls that were like U12 when the AFLW started will be the draftees for 2023... that's actually kind of massive. They'd barely remember a time without AFLW

Not sure what you mean by player movement exactly... the AFLW seems to have a different sort of culture around player movements in the first place, there's less expectation of being a 'one club player' or playing for your dad's club or whatever, they seem to hop from one to the next without criticism. The initial expansion of four teams coming in at the same time will be insane though (maybe that's what you meant?). I wonder if they'll let us do a mini-draft with 17 year olds or something too, so that it's not one draft where four clubs take 80% of the picks. Presumably all picks can be traded.

Will certainly make for interesting watching though.

 

[Lore]

And there's cricket as well

Why would the AFL care about cricket

 

[eth-dog]

Why would the AFL care about cricket

Apart from the fact that a lot of the grounds will be unavailable?

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Why would the AFL care about cricket

I most certainly don't.

 

[Lore]

Apart from the fact that a lot of the grounds will be unavailable?

They're already planning to start the AFLW season in December, so I think they have some sort of plan in place. I don't see why the cricket would have dibs on all the grounds in October and November but not December–March.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Way too early expanding to 18. Should still be 10 clubs, give it time. Why the rush?

 

[yodellinhank]

The standard will drop back to probably AFLW c. 2016 but they'll gain a pile of new money and sponsorships, more eyeballs, rations, broadcast money etc. with more teams funnelling into grassroots development, ultimately it's a short-term sacrifice as far as the league is concerned. Girls that were like U12 when the AFLW started will be the draftees for 2023... that's actually kind of massive. They'd barely remember a time without AFLW

Not sure what you mean by player movement exactly... the AFLW seems to have a different sort of culture around player movements in the first place, there's less expectation of being a 'one club player' or playing for your dad's club or whatever, they seem to hop from one to the next without criticism. The initial expansion of four teams coming in at the same time will be insane though (maybe that's what you meant?). I wonder if they'll let us do a mini-draft with 17 year olds or something too, so that it's not one draft where four clubs take 80% of the picks. Presumably all picks can be traded.

Will certainly make for interesting watching though.

I think the player movement could be about the number of Vic v interstate teams and thinking that participation may be higher across the country than it is with men?

As for standard there'll most likely be a fair boom to follow the AFLW becoming a thing, what we've seeing now isn't the product of athletes that have had competitive footy freely available to them their whole time growing up. Auskicks are getting more interest, junior footy is going to start having more clubs, local level has already exploded from what i can tell and has room to get better. It'll all flow on.

 

[Beerfish]

Way too early expanding to 18. Should still be 10 clubs, give it time. Why the rush?

I'll guess money is involved somehow.

 

[AJ_2000]

I think it's important to get the pathway up and running ASAP, 18 clubs is fine by me - everyone is part of the program.

However instead of the conference model (which serves no purpose), they should go for a 2 division approach so the matches are competitive.

Div 1 - 10 teams / Div 2 8 teams. Promote/Relegate 2 from each Div each season (GF winner and highest on the table from Div 2).

Draft order allocated from final ladder spots starting bottom of Div 2 up to premiers Div 1.