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

[peetoo]

Think womens soccer more resembles how the men's game looks. The smaller field size to AFL assists women's game.
Men and women AFL looks totally different

In a way both women’s sports are a throwback to a decade or so ago before professionalism made the men’s sport too cynical. It has its own charm

 

[peetoo]

Nah. 15th-placed Hawthorn v 18th-placed Sydney last season was a better game of footy than anything in the 8-team comp.

I still get CHILLS watching this moment! Swans jumped 'em with the first 4 goals in Q1, awesome stuff:




It's more like 20% are latecomers to the sport, including 5% Irish (such as the amazing Gilly, as seen in the video above). The other 80% grew up playing Aussie rules.

Those kicks barely over 30m eh?

 

[AstonSouffle]

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

Eh Raso can whack it two footed and is the first Australian to play for Madrid (only 20), that u 15's thing happened around 2016 ish, right before I graduated Uni - women's sport has changed massively since then.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Yes they did

 

[GWT6]

A week ago everyone was jumping on the Women's Soccer bandwagon - and soccer fans (the vegans of the sporting world) - were saying Soccer has now taken over.

Apparently the world cup is still going, and there is a 3rd vs 4th game on tonight - and nobody gives a s**t about it.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

11.24 million watched the game.

That is unheard of

 

[SC_Power]

A week ago everyone was jumping on the Women's Soccer bandwagon - and soccer fans (the vegans of the football world) - were saying Soccer has now taken over.

Apparently the world cup is still going, and there is a 3rd vs 4th game on tonight - and nobody gives a s**t about it.

Hey, we all lose our collective national s**t every 4 years for the Olympics, and the Winter Olympics, etc….

So how many times do the same people watch a rowing regatta, or a swimming meet in Europe, or a tennis match in Stuttgart, or synchronized swimming and trampolining anywhere…..?
You watch the National team when there’s something on the line, and you go back to watching what you’re interested in when they're not playing.
Aussie Rules doesn’t have an International Presence, so we watch it because we like it. But if it’s so fantastic, why doesn’t the world watch it? Exactly, no one else cares. Because they don’t play it.

 

[The Educator]

Eh Raso can whack it two footed and is the first Australian to play for Madrid (only 20), that u 15's thing happened around 2016 ish, right before I graduated Uni - women's sport has changed massively since then.

She's 28. Would have been 22 in 2016

 

[Soggy2112]

AFLW is a club league that runs on a yearly basis.

The World Cup consists of national teams and goes for a few weeks every four years.

Apples and oranges.

The quality of women’s soccer is undeniably better than women’s footy, which is to be expected, it’s existed for much longer.

I think the AFLW is currently in an awkward spot where the novelty and excitement has worn off, but the quality of play is still only just improving. We will be having a very different conversation in 10
years time provided the investment is there.

 

[iameviljez]

The quality of women’s soccer is undeniably better than women’s footy, which is to be expected, it’s existed for much longer.

Exactly, we're seeing really our second generation of female footballers (soccer) who have been consistently in elite training squads since junior ages.

Whereas most AFLW players at the moment will have not even had a competitive local team to play for between the ages of 14 and 18, and even then the participation rates were low.

It's decades behind women's soccer. It'll catch up.

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

The quality of the game has gone backwards in the last year, the expansion killed it by diluting the skill level.

Those teams that didn't want to be in it from the start should not have been given the option to join. The AFL in it's haste to make a feel good story have kneecapped themself.

Not only the skill level dilution but it drastically increased player movement, so any player you had an attachment to seemed to move to one of the expansion clubs.

 

[Soggy2112]

Exactly, we're seeing really our second generation of female footballers (soccer) who have been consistently in elite training squads since junior ages.

Whereas most AFLW players at the moment will have not even had a competitive local team to play for between the ages of 14 and 18, and even then the participation rates were low.

It's decades behind women's soccer. It'll catch up.

100%, AFLW hasn’t even fully had its first generation talent, it’s still heavily reliant on recruiting athletes from other sports.

The quality of the game has gone backwards in the last year, the expansion killed it by diluting the skill level.

It absolutely has, however it’s always been about the long game with AFLW. Create the elite pathway, girls will join it from a young age and 15-20 years down the track it’ll hopefully be a quality product. I can understand the thought process that getting all 18 clubs involved will achieve that faster/better.

 

[peetoo]

100%, AFLW hasn’t even fully had its first generation talent, it’s still heavily reliant on recruiting athletes from other sports.


It absolutely has, however it’s always been about the long game with AFLW. Create the elite pathway, girls will join it from a young age and 15-20 years down the track it’ll hopefully be a quality product. I can understand the thought process that getting all 18 clubs involved will achieve that faster/better.

And all these women will be mothers of sons and daughters who might play not just watch

 

[Rob R]

11.24 million watched the game.

That is unheard of

And a figure with very little credibility like most tv ratings these days just a marketing figure.

On SM-A125F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[SC_Power]

And a figure with very little credibility like most tv ratings these days just a marketing figure.

On SM-A125F using BigFooty.com mobile app

Of course it is. No one really watched the game.

 

[The Educator]

Exactly, we're seeing really our second generation of female footballers (soccer) who have been consistently in elite training squads since junior ages.

What we are seeing is the best 11 players from each country. In the AFLW there are 520 Australian footballers and about 20 Irish.

Whereas most AFLW players at the moment will have not even had a competitive local team to play for between the ages of 14 and 18, and even then the participation rates were low.

I'd say that is no longer true of a majority of players.

It's decades behind women's soccer. It'll catch up.

Well, it is certainly isn't decades behind if at all. The amount of reasources in Australian football female pathways would have dwarfed aus soccer for pretty much the last decade

 

[The Educator]

100%, AFLW hasn’t even fully had its first generation talent, it’s still heavily reliant on recruiting athletes from other sports.

As Teen Wolf has noted, over 80% or AFLW players played junior footy.

 

[CrazyJoeFevola]

This is the high water mark as far as the Matilda’s go. The WC will mean it levels out to a fair bit higher than it was before but you really can’t forget that.

The AFL really hasn’t dropped the ball either, soccer by nature, being more or less contactless as well as on a smaller field translates way better as far as the women’s game goes. It’s half watchable even if the Matilda’s would lose to Newcastle Jets under 15’s, AFLW is like watching local div4 seconds.

 

[iameviljez]

As Teen Wolf has noted, over 80% or AFLW players played junior footy.

Which is damningly low when you think about it

 

[iameviljez]

This is the high water mark as far as the Matilda’s go. The WC will mean it levels out to a fair bit higher than it was before but you really can’t forget that.

Honestly, I think the Matildas will get better over time.

IMO in thirty years soccer will be the number one sport for young girls in Australia

 

[CrazyJoeFevola]

Honestly, I think the Matildas will get better over time.

IMO in thirty years soccer will be the number one sport for young girls in Australia

It’s already number 1 for girls sport. I can’t see them getting any better either it was a home World Cup and they played out of their skins.

 

[iameviljez]

It’s already number 1 for girls sport. I can’t see them getting any better either it was a home World Cup and they played out of their skins.

Pretty sure netball still wins for participation.

Our local soccer clubs up here (Brisbane) struggles for fields more than anything else, with the girl influx

 

[Altum Volantes]

At least this isn’t the Olympics - the ‘new fans’ would be starting a campaign to introduce a medal for 4th right about now.

 

[iameviljez]

A week ago everyone was jumping on the Women's Soccer bandwagon - and soccer fans (the vegans of the sporting world) - were saying Soccer has now taken over.

Apparently the world cup is still going, and there is a 3rd vs 4th game on tonight - and nobody gives a s**t about it.

Look, I love soccer, and footy (der, I’m here) and two things are pretty undeniable:
1) Soccer hasn’t “taken over” as such, but also
2) It has made huge headway into this country that was unimaginable 25 years ago.

 

[The Educator]

Look, I love soccer, and footy (der, I’m here) and two things are pretty undeniable:
1) Soccer hasn’t “taken over” as such, but also
2) It has made huge headway into this country that was unimaginable 25 years ago.

This was 26 years ago

Which is damningly low when you think about it

OK, means there's there's probably 450 players who've played considerable amount of juniors, more than any other domestic sporting competition anywhere, but sure.