Women's Footy AFC GET Women's Team

[NikkiNoo]

There's a lot of threads on this board, you have a big job ahead of you to find out who doesn't care about each subject.

The fact that there has been people posting in here, shows that some do care and others want to hang crap on the idea. If people don't care, don't post in that thread really. Why would they bother otherwise? (rhetorical question really as I have an idea why but they won't like it).

 

[1970crow]

It's not just 4 weeks, there is also the pre-season training as well. For a first time team, there will be a lot more training you would think.

Working at another AFL club will not wash with training at a different AFL club. If she is drafted by another Victorian team, then she will have to resign her job. You think that it is fair to lose her job?

But that training exists at all of the Melbourne franchises, so zero difference. Why would she resign her job? What does she do at Melbourne, are they not behind the concept? Even if this is true, it's just further evidence that there's no way the AFL would farm her out anywhere else. If the players are having to choose between careers and this league, remembering only a handful will be getting $25k, then it'll go nowhere. There's no excuse for going public like she did. If a couple of quiet phone calls to the right AFL people couldn't allay her fears then whoever the AFL has running this is a moron or the AFL aren't really serious about ensuring the league attracts as much quality as it can. In which case, let's wrap it up here and now.

 

[Gets!]

Bloody pumped.

Who would have thought a few years back that by 2017 I would have three crows teams to follow?

 

[Tadpole]

You can join me in the SAWFL instead! And 28 is a spring chicken compared to me

I've briefly wistfully thought about checking out the SAWFL, but have never played Aussie Rules before; and at a few months shy of 42, my chances of being halfway decent at any sport at any level have likely passed me by.

 

[NikkiNoo]

I've briefly wistfully thought about checking out the SAWFL, but have never played Aussie Rules before; and at a few months shy of 42, my chances of being halfway decent at any sport at any level have likely passed me by.

Do it! We only have 4 in our team who have played the game before. And to shock a few people around these parts, I'm older than you.

 

[CrowinNT]

I've briefly wistfully thought about checking out the SAWFL, but have never played Aussie Rules before; and at a few months shy of 42, my chances of being halfway decent at any sport at any level have likely passed me by.

I think you are underselling yourself. There is an endless list of sports out there. It's all about participating and many levels at which to choose from.
Age has no barrier have a look at what the Alice Springs Masters Games is about.

 

[Tadpole]

Do it! We only have 4 in our team who have played the game before. And to shock a few people around these parts, I'm older than you.

Maybe next season, give me a chance to get some base level of fitness going. Would be interesting though, as I don't drive, so would have to catch public transport to and from training and games (until I got fit enough to run there. ) What I'd really like though if I can't play is to get into the admin side of things (although I have no training in sports admin - but have worked in admin in another industry for about a decade).

 

[Tadpole]

I think you are underselling yourself. There is an endless list of sports out there. It's all about participating and many levels at which to choose from.
Age has no barrier have a look at what the Alice Springs Masters Games is about.

I have in the past at various times played basketball, netball, and Gaelic football - but I haven't played any sport, even socially for at least a decade.

 

[footy4ever]

There's a lot of threads on this board, you have a big job ahead of you to find out who doesn't care about each subject.

You make no sense. This is the topic I asked about. What has every other thread got to do with it? I wanted to know about this thread. Where's the ****ing crime?

 

[NikkiNoo]

Maybe next season, give me a chance to get some base level of fitness going. Would be interesting though, as I don't drive, so would have to catch public transport to and from training and games (until I got fit enough to run there. ) What I'd really like though if I can't play is to get into the admin side of things (although I have no training in sports admin - but have worked in admin in another industry for about a decade).

Clubs are often looking for team managers and things like that always. We have great support from the men's team at our club in those roles. I joined the club in order to work the base level of fitness up and it's been a long time since I've done anything really strenuous fitness wise on a regular basis. We also do the car pooling within our team for training and games as needed.

 

[NikkiNoo]

You make no sense. This is the topic I asked about. What has every other thread got to do with it? I wanted to know about this thread. Where's the ****ing crime?

It smacked of someone who wanted to hang shit on the idea. If people had no interest in it they are very unlikely to actually have bothered to open the thread, so you wouldn't get responses from people who were not interested in it because they wouldn't have even looked at the thread. It was a weird thing to post in the first place unless you only wanted to be negative.

 

[Tadpole]

I don't understand people who post in a thread just to keep on telling everyone how much they don't care about a particular subject. I agree with Nikki - if a person really had no interest whatsoever in a particular topic, they'd usually just scroll right on past the topic heading and look for one they actually do care about.

 

[Slippery Pete]

It is not that she barracks for them so much, but that she is employed by them, has been for the past few years and is on a development track for her employment future. They will only be paid the maximum of 25k for a month of playing and having to train. How is she meant to pay the bills, Pete?

I totally agree. Womens football isn't viable.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I don't understand people who post in a thread just to keep on telling everyone how much they don't care about a particular subject. I agree with Nikki - if a person really had no interest whatsoever in a particular topic, they'd usually just scroll right on past the topic heading and look for one they actually do care about.

Oh stop the status ****ing and false premises.

People are posting because they (rightly) have an interest in their club squandering resources on a dead-end project.

 

[Allefgib]

It is not that she barracks for them so much, but that she is employed by them, has been for the past few years and is on a development track for her employment future. They will only be paid the maximum of 25k for a month of playing and having to train. How is she meant to pay the bills, Pete?

spot on. Was hoping someone else hadn't made this point so I could be SMRT.

 

[Allefgib]

I totally agree. Womens football isn't viable.

I assume you mean 'professional league' of women's football isn't viable?
Remains to be proven. Will be a tough battle no doubt.

Is it viable for women to get together and play at a decent standard worth watching? You betcha. I've quite enjoyed the curtain raisers this year with women playing. More importantly my daughters have. if that gets them involved and more interested in putting their hard earned, in the future, into a membership ticket for our footy club - well worth the effort.

Not sure I quite buy the 'it's the right thing to do' That does feel a little PC to me. Plenty of things that are the 'right thing to do' for a footy club - and I guess to be fair many of them happen (e.g. our boys went up and helped wit hthe floods in QLD years ago, using footy as a platform for breast cancer awareness etc). Just feels a touch convenient - if there was no payoff, I'm not sure we'd be doing it.

However, there is no doubt for me in the strategic intent around this being the 'right thing to do' and why our club pushed so hard to win the opportunity. It's viability as a stand alone professional league remains to be seen - and isn't also the big picture here.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Is it viable for women to get together and play at a decent standard worth watching? You betcha. I've quite enjoyed the curtain raisers this year with women playing. More importantly my daughters have. if that gets them involved and more interested in putting their hard earned, in the future, into a membership ticket for our footy club - well worth the effort.

Would you have gone if it wasn't a curtain raiser?

Not sure I quite buy the 'it's the right thing to do' That does feel a little PC to me. Plenty of things that are the 'right thing to do' for a footy club - and I guess to be fair many of them happen (e.g. our boys went up and helped wit hthe floods in QLD years ago, using footy as a platform for breast cancer awareness etc). Just feels a touch convenient - if there was no payoff, I'm not sure we'd be doing it.

Someone, somewhere, is going to burn a lot of money on this. I just don't know who yet, but I'm suspecting the clubs involved and their members won't escape unscathed.

Political correctness is expensive, and we've reached the apex of freakshow absurdity in this country where it now overrides even basic free market principles.

Nobody will be interested in this beyond the initial novelty. The standard will be lower than the U18 boys competition.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Nobody will be interested in this beyond the initial novelty. The standard will be lower than the U18 boys competition.

Standard of the sport isn't the be all and end all though.

I reckon the junior boys Wimbledon champion could beat most of the women's players too. Yet they sell plenty of tickets for the women's games and have good tv ratings.

All that needs to happen for people to watch the women's football initially is for it to fill a void. Thinking about it now the Feb/Mar timeslot is perfect. AFL hasn't cranked up yet, the international cricket summer has finished, the Big Bash has finished.

What are they competing with? Shield cricket? A-League? Not much.

 

[Coopers]

Why does it have to be "viable"? Plenty of sports clubs exist around the world without making money hand over fist.

It's about community and participation, which is a great thing.

 

[Coopers]

What are they competing with? Shield cricket? A-League? Not much.

Will the games be televised?

I'd watch them if yes.

 

[Allefgib]

Would you have gone if it wasn't a curtain raiser?



Someone, somewhere, is going to burn a lot of money on this. I just don't know who yet, but I'm suspecting the clubs involved and their members won't escape unscathed.

Political correctness is expensive, and we've reached the apex of freakshow absurdity in this country where it now overrides even basic free market principles.

Nobody will be interested in this beyond the initial novelty. The standard will be lower than the U18 boys competition.

In answer to your first question - possibly. In all honesty at the same level of I've possibly been meaning to go to the SANFL game.

Given I've got all daughters, and if I had the time in the future, would I choose to go to an an AFL woman's game vs our reserves in the SANFL? In all honesty - probably on par. Mostly because I have daughters - so to cultivate their interest as much as anything. I'd be happy seeing either game of footy. I'd never watch a women's game over a mens game at AFL level. or can't see myself doing it at this point.

I don't believe it's just a political correctness exercise. Having sat down with Fages and hearing him talk about it I strongly suggest the club believes there is significant payoff in the exercise.

 

[NikkiNoo]

In answer to your first question - possibly. In all honesty at the same level of I've possibly been meaning to go to the SANFL game.

Given I've got all daughters, and if I had the time in the future, would I choose to go to an an AFL woman's game vs our reserves in the SANFL? In all honesty - probably on par. Mostly because I have daughters - so to cultivate their interest as much as anything. I'd be happy seeing either game of footy. I'd never watch a women's game over a mens game at AFL level. or can't see myself doing it at this point.

I don't believe it's just a political correctness exercise. Having sat down with Fages and hearing him talk about it I strongly suggest the club believes there is significant payoff in the exercise.

To follow on from this I would like those who think it is a bad idea to consider why they think it is so.

Do they think they won't watch it? That's fine. They don't have to. Not everyone in this country watches AFL and we, who like the game and do like watching it, don't force them to. And, yes, they are free to say they don't like the game.

Do they think it won't make money? That's fine again, but it really has no relevance to themselves on that, as it is the AFL's choice to spend that money. They wouldn't have given that money to the clubs for the men's programs anyway (this is the AFL). It is part of a much larger push to grow the game in new (and a strong existing) markets.

Do they think it will take money away from the Men's AFL and SANFL Crows teams? The club has already said that no it won't, it will be funded separately. In fact they, and the other clubs who won tenders already have alternative sponsors lined up interested in assisting those clubs and the women's teams and the AFL will also be providing funding.

They aren't as good as the men! Of course they are not. Female players never had these pathways before. We got up and played and tried our hand at it when someone let us have the opportunity (very few). Most of the time women didn't even know there was a league around or a club they could join. Now there are more options and knowledge because of the new pathway. It will take time to get to a level that people are used to watching on tv because of the time limit of experience that has been afforded up until now. It's not going to magically happen immediately, but it will improve and it has to start somewhere. Going back and watching football in the 1990s is so different to the game as it is played now. This are always changing and evolving in sport.

Those are the main reasons I read over and over again and to me it comes back to quite a simple thing - that it doesn't really affect those people, so why are they getting so annoyed about it? Why is allowing a section of the community who never had an opportunity like this to now have that opportunity so anathema to those people?

 

[footy4ever]

It smacked of someone who wanted to hang shit on the idea. If people had no interest in it they are very unlikely to actually have bothered to open the thread, so you wouldn't get responses from people who were not interested in it because they wouldn't have even looked at the thread. It was a weird thing to post in the first place unless

I can see how it would read that way so I'll try to be more eloquent this time. Me, myself, I, am ambivalent to the AFC having a women's team. I'm also ambivalent to the AFL staging a Women's competition. Peeps, with whom I've had conversations relating to the Crows Women's team and the AFL women's competition, have generally taken a strong viewpoint either for or against it. Very few have adopted my meh, take it or leave it attitude. Am I the only one on BF who wouldn't gnash any teeth if AFC did or didn't get a license for a women's team? It's a fair question to ask.

 

[footy4ever]

I don't understand people who post in a thread just to keep on telling everyone how much they don't care about a particular subject. I agree with Nikki - if a person really had no interest whatsoever in a particular topic, they'd usually just scroll right on past the topic heading and look for one they actually do care about.

Now see, you too have completely misinterpreted my post.

 

[rocket18]

Great we got the licence, it's getting a lot of coverage/publicity.

However it does grate on me a bit that the national womens league is semi pro at such a low "base".

Getting women playing footy is awesome but this has/can already happened without a national comp being set up. I know it is meant to fast track development/interest but the "hard yards" haven't been done and it does come across to me as a bit PC.

I would have thought the funds could be better spent at the grass root level getting good coaching/facilities into the womens leagues and then once the state based competitions are flourishing then move onto a national comp.

But nevertheless the more people playing footy is a good thing and well done to the AFC getting behind it.