Did the AFL drop the ball on women's footy?

[WesternSydneyHawk]

Given the ratings and the amount of public attention the Matildas have received in recent weeks, I'm wondering whether the AFL stuffed up by being too cautious with the launch of the AFLW?

Back in 2016, the Hampson-Hardeman Cup between the Bulldogs and the Dees was the most-watched game in Melbourne across the entire home and away season.

Broadcast live on Channel Seven during the bye week before the finals series, it was watched by 1.05 million people.

There was a groundswell of goodwill that led the AFL to launch the AFLW competition.

The AFL had a choice.

It could have opted to go for a fully professional competition from the get-go. This would have attracted the best athletes, and allowed the players to focus full-time on training.

Or it could take the the cheaper, more cautious approach and have a limited semi-professional competition played at VFL/WAFL/SANFL grounds, where the players all need second jobs.

The AFL chose the latter option.

In hindsight, was it the right call?

Or did it stuff up a multi-billion-dollar once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to corner the market for women's sport in Australia, squandering a lot of goodwill in the process?

 

[Chief]

I think the international competition is the draw card here, and getting this far into it.


(Female soccer players also hotter. Prove me wrong.)

 

[spudmaster]

I think the international competition is the draw card here, and getting this far into it.


(Female soccer players also hotter. Prove me wrong.)

 

[parano1a]

The first ever AFLW game rated highly due to curiosity factor. This also applied to the exhibition games which were held only once a year.

The league expanded to 18 teams way too soon, ratings show there just isn't the demand at this point in time. Inconsistent and haphazard scheduling (including a season being abandoned before the Grand Final) hasn't helped.

I also think the Matildas success and popularity will not lead to any meaningful increase in crowds or ratings for the A League Women.

 

[Kwality]

Given the ratings and the amount of public attention the Matildas have received in recent weeks, I'm wondering whether the AFL stuffed up by being too cautious with the launch of the AFLW?

Back in 2016, the Hampson-Hardeman Cup between the Bulldogs and the Dees was the most-watched game in Melbourne across the entire home and away season.

Broadcast live on Channel Seven during the bye week before the finals series, it was watched by 1.05 million people.

There was a groundswell of goodwill that led the AFL to launch the AFLW competition.

The AFL had a choice.

It could have opted to go for a fully professional competition from the get-go. This would have attracted the best athletes, and allowed the players to focus full-time on training.

Or it could take the the cheaper, more cautious approach and have a limited semi-professional competition played at VFL/WAFL/SANFL grounds, where the players all need second jobs.

The AFL chose the latter option.

In hindsight, was it the right call?

Or did it stuff up a multi-billion-dollar once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to corner the market for women's sport in Australia, squandering a lot of goodwill in the process?

Did you miss Craig Kelly's comments ? The more games you play, the bigger the loss.

Craig Kelly: "we can’t just squeeze the lemon and just start handing out cash that we haven’t got" - ABC listen

Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly and Grandstand AFL Commentator Kelli Underwood have had a spirited debate around the AFLW competition.

www.abc.net.au

Craig Kelly: "we can’t just squeeze the lemon and just start handing out cash that we haven’t got"​

 

[Cleavy]

I realise we loath to compare the NRL and AFL, but what does the NRL do with its Women's comp? my understanding is that games are primarily played as double headers with the men's game, and same for the Grand Final?

 

[Forever North]

I think the novelty factor is gone for AFLW. I’m being cynical here but I reckon a lot of clubs use it as a box ticking exercise and a way to get government funding for facilities and their ‘women’s program’. 18 clubs are far too many. Should be a 8-10 team comp at most.

 

[TheKanga]

I have never watched an AFLW game.
Nothing against it just never had the urge to put it on.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Entertainment/skill level differential between men's and women's AFL is larger than soccer, cricket, tennis etc. That's partly why they achieved more popularity. But AFLW is getting better, but until the skill level improves drastically, most won't tune it for the entertainment factor unfortunately.

 

[Danw0w]

Women's soccer is just better than women's footy imo

 

[Daka]

AFLW isn't that popular for a lot of reasons.
I think it's been a failure the men's game is literally paying for it.

The rules are different which makes it a mickey mouse competition.

The way it has been set-up has been poor the way players can just move around no one has emotional attachment to the game.

I can see why Soccer/The Matilda's is thriving it's pretty much spot on to how the Men's football is played.

 

[Stamos]

The expansion and how it was implemented was a disaster

 

[kaiserchief13]

The skill level is just too poor in aflw compared to watching a men's game. Matildas skill level isn't that far off socceroos

 

[EDFL follower]

The skill level is just too poor in aflw compared to watching a men's game. Matildas skill level isn't that far off socceroos

Didn't the Matildas play some junior boys team a few years ago and get flogged?

 

[peetoo]

How is a - league women rating? Does it even exist?

 

[Kickin Goals]

The Womens game will be a lot better in about 5-10 years there are so many girls playing footy now from a young age that the skill level will start increasing. The junior club I’m involved in has two sides in each of the U11’s, U13’s & U15’s. Sam Kerr wouldn’t be playing for the Matilda’s at the moment if she could of kept playing footy against other girls.

 

[Clark G]

As others have said, moved to 18 teams too fast. If you are going to have 18 teams, they all need to play each other at least once.

 

[HarryBeef]

Big difference between the world cup, and a domestic competition.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Biggest issue is whether you like it or not to put it bluntly people watch sport for entertainment.

Who wants to watch an AFLW game with let’s say 6-8 goals at most and that’s at absolute best. Been saying it for 2 years, reduce the size of the field, reduce the players (take two mids out both sides). Get to a stage where 10+ goals a side is the bare minimum.

Then let’s compare to the Matilda’s who score goals and play attractive exciting football (soccer). They also have elite players in their side playing overseas and are well known not just Kerr. Without looking it up can anyone name more than 4-5 AFLW players? I’m struggling to name that many. There’s the issue.

 

[RonnieRaven]

It’s a national team of course it gets the support!
I’ve never seen aleague w but I’ll get around the Matilda’s same with women cricket in world cups ashes but I’ve never watched women’s national comp.
That’s why the olympics is well supported but most athletes make peanuts outside of them.
You not switching on for the shot put state finals but an Aussie in an Olympic final is must see

 

[blitzer]

Women's footy isn't going that badly too be honest. If you take a look at say the WNBA which has been around since I believe 1996 and still runs at a loss and has had nearly 3 decades to develop in a far larger market.

The semi professional approach is in keeping with the fact that many of the players didn't have the most professional developmental pathway. That's not their fault but it is a reality. This competition is still in its infancy and decisions made over the next decade will be what shapes the way the game grows or fails to grow.

I think it was a very good idea to give all the AFL teams a womens team. Yes perhaps the talent pool isn't deep enough yet but it gives everyone who is interested someone to root for. Successful commercialisation is the key to making it financially viable which will drive all sorts of benefits from better developmental programs leading to an improved product etc but you have to get the money flowing in first.

 

[Cmarsh]

Biggest issue is whether you like it or not to put it bluntly people watch sport for entertainment.

Who wants to watch an AFLW game with let’s say 6-8 goals at most and that’s at absolute best. Been saying it for 2 years, reduce the size of the field, reduce the players (take two mids out both sides). Get to a stage where 10+ goals a side is the bare minimum.

Then let’s compare to the Matilda’s who score goals and play attractive exciting football (soccer). They also have elite players in their side playing overseas and are well known not just Kerr. Without looking it up can anyone name more than 4-5 AFLW players? I’m struggling to name that many. There’s the issue.

Not sure of your point re goal scoring. Their last start was a nil all draw after regulation and extra time.

 

[Cmarsh]

AFLW really needs to get rid of the boundary ump throwing the ball 10 meters in from the boundary line.

Makes it look like little league rather than a professional comp.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

The skill level is just too poor in aflw compared to watching a men's game. Matildas skill level isn't that far off socceroos

The gap in soccer is even bigger its just womens football is a more pleasing and different spectacle then AFLW.

Matilda's lost 7-0 against under 15 boys.

 

[Teen Wolf]

TV ratings for last season's grand final dwarfed every other domestic women's league in 2022. So there's a great deal of confidence within the industry that it will reach the fully professional target between 2026 and 2030 in a sustainable manner.

As we've already seen in this thread, there are supporters of North Melbourne and West Coast who'll never miss their 2-19 men's team play... And then have the gumption to say they don't watch AFLW because of the skill level or whatever. Hence, with that lingering stench of sexism in our culture, there are 75k AFLW members atm (which is still pretty good, given there were 0 six years ago) rather than 750k--not because Gill (who fast-tracked the league) is mean.

Kinda reminds me of the rhetoric being spewed on this website a fortnight ago when the Matildas lost to Nigeria. Sure enough, enter the disgruntled senior citizens who immediately clamoured aboard to deride these "entitled" female athletes' desire to earn a salary.