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

 

[Runk]

Ranks right up there, with the day CAS announced the success of the WADA appeal, as one of the worst days in Essendon's history.

Not really.

I don't know about that.....

It's disappointing but hardly devastating.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

meh all i care about is Essendon winning it's 17th flag.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

I don't know about that.....

It's disappointing but hardly devastating.

I reckon your sarcasm meter is broken.

 

[Runk]

I reckon your sarcasm meter is broken.

I just checked. It's been unplugged. ******* kids.

 

[eDPS]

Big words from the club, they are fuming

 

[Runk]

Big words from the club, they are fuming

They have every right to feel frustrated. It was exactly a wonderful opportunity lost on many levels.

 

[Lore]

Big words from the club, they are fuming

No kidding.

I like the last bit:

We will continue to provide women from the remote communities of the Tiwi Islands, West Arnhem Land and North West Melbourne with a pathway to achieve their dreams of playing AFLW, and remain committed to entering a team in the VFLW competition as early as next season.

Today’s decision will not impact our passion to grow, develop and invest in aspiring young female footballers, or more broadly the game of women's football.

 

[Dons4days]

Not that I care a whole lot but if they're trying to grow a code it makes no sense that irrelevant clubs like North & Gold Coast get teams while 2 of the biggest clubs in Hawthorn & Essendon get overlook.

Oh well, I guess it'll be another 3-4 years before I give a crap about the AFLW.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Yeah Lance, just look at GWS - how did they get any good players after coming into the league 140 years after Essendon?

yeah... cos the talent pools for women are just as great as men...

 

[JDavey]

I get what you're saying, but to be honest it sounds very Sydney-centric (what discussions about NSW don't?). In Sydney it's not surprising that the numbers of women who watch are higher because there is so much more choice for women. In the country, however, with the availability of League Tag, touch and League, large numbers of women who know these games and the rules, and established competitions, the AFL has a lot of work to do if it even wants to break in. The main problem out here is that no-one understands the game or wants to invest the time in understanding it. It's somthing they could do reaonsably easily if they targeted schools through AusKick, because the opportunities for kids at country schools are few as well, and the parents want safe alternatives to League too. To say that the NRL is a weak code in country areas is simply not true. In many places, it's the only code.

Greater Sydney's population is ~5m, the rest of NSW is only about ~2m. I'd hazard a guess that the AFL is targeting the 5 before targeting the 2. And I'd say for the exact reason you pointed out - country NSW is probably much harder to have a go at!

I completely agree with this. Young girls playing the game will grow up into fans of the game and this is the best way to generate many generations of strong growth in support for these new teams. I just think that it was foolish not using the Essendon support to provide more money to the AFLW immediately.

Totally get what you're saying. My best guess would be that the attendance/viewer numbers for year one far exceeded what they were hoping to achieve and they're not worried about the success of it (hence being fine with adding Saints/Roos over Bombers/Tigers)

 

[Mercurial89]

Its frustrating we dont have a team but that doesn't stop the club from doing some really good things for the communities and helping grow the game for women from the sidelines.
That is something we can be really proud of that even when we dont have a licence the club is committed to helping.
I hope the rest of the teams selected provide the best support available for women and girls that want to play our game, because in the end thats all that matters.

We will have a team eventually, until then ill follow the AFLW from afar and watch how their game and the Skill level evolves.

 

[Zach Package]

Looking forward to everyone else signing the players that do well for us in the VFL for the 2019 season

 

[JDavey]

yeah... cos the talent pools for women are just as great as men...

So...? That doesn't impact anything... If the talent pools aren't as good - then the existing lists of clubs in the AFLW won't be batting deep either....

If they give new clubs the same concessions as expansion clubs in the AFL you're only a few seasons away from the top 8.

 

[DonsRule]

 

[Bombermania]

Considering the GCS are struggling to manage a men's side just how will they cope with a women's side.

Surely the AFL are just being blinked as usual overlooking the fact that Essendon is one of the few clubs that already has an active Women's supporter network which could have helped to run it.

 

[Lore]

I wish they'd do a full run of those guernseys as merchandise. I've been wanting them to make a women's guernsey for ages, now they have a mockup what's stopping them? Also it'd be kind of hilarious if all these women and children are going to games wearing the AFLW guernseys for a team that doesn't yet exist (and men too if they're game and can find one that fits).

 

[ghostdog]

Its frustrating we dont have a team but that doesn't stop the club from doing some really good things for the communities and helping grow the game for women from the sidelines.
That is something we can be really proud of that even when we dont have a licence the club is committed to helping.
I hope the rest of the teams selected provide the best support available for women and girls that want to play our game, because in the end thats all that matters.

We will have a team eventually, until then ill follow the AFLW from afar and watch how their game and the Skill level evolves.

Totally agree. That's leadership, and I wouldn't expect anything less from EFC.

 

[ghostdog]

Greater Sydney's population is ~5m, the rest of NSW is only about ~2m. I'd hazard a guess that the AFL is targeting the 5 before targeting the 2. And I'd say for the exact reason you pointed out - country NSW is probably much harder to have a go at!

I reckon that's their approach too - It's a socio-cultural trickle-down approach. Hardly holistic or grass-roots, and country areas miss out again, much to our chagrin, while city-types deem us slow... I'll stop now.

 

[Jack Richards]

No kidding.

I like the last bit:

To be honest I am feeling rubbish about the idea of helping these kids and developing women footballers only for them to be poached come draft time because the AFL dont want us to have a license. I would be telling Gil, either give us a license in 2021 or get stuffed.

 

[Lore]

To be honest I am feeling rubbish about the idea of helping these kids and developing women footballers only for them to be poached come draft time because the AFL dont want us to have a license. I would be telling Gil, either give us a license in 2021 or get stuffed.

The AFLW is like a rep team comp that runs for a few weeks in summer, so we'd be developing them for our VFLW team predominantly that runs throughout the year. If they end up elsewhere in the AFLW system, when we get a team and have entry concessions to poach a few good players and get ourselves going, we will already have public goodwill and pre-existing relationships with the players who grew up in our academies.

We should be doing what Geelong did - make it absolutely impossible for them to deny us next time round.

 

[Jack Richards]

Looking forward to everyone else signing the players that do well for us in the VFL for the 2019 season

Nothing says GET STUFFED Essendon more than them taking our players and development we are putting into the VFLW community while telling us "We are working with you to help improve your chances of getting a license in the near future. We just cannot give you a time frame of when that will be."

Its like the boss acknowledging your extra unpaid hours you put in for that "promotion" which will never happen while some knob (gold coast) benefits by leeching off the AFL coffers.

 

[Jack Richards]

The AFLW is like a rep team comp that runs for a few weeks in summer, so we'd be developing them for our VFLW team predominantly that runs throughout the year. If they end up elsewhere in the AFLW system, when we get a team and have entry concessions to poach a few good players and get ourselves going, we will already have public goodwill and pre-existing relationships with the players who grew up in our academies.

We should be doing what Geelong did - make it absolutely impossible for them to deny us next time round.

And who pays for their insurance if they do an ACL or season ending injury? I certainly wouldn't be ok if we had to because they denied us the ability to have our own license and the fact that we are training them in an elite environment.

 

[Lore]

And who pays for their insurance if they do an ACL or season ending injury?

While they are training/playing for the AFLW team? They will be covered by whatever insurance is part of the AFLW club's situation. It would all be worked out, same as the current arrangement for Port Melbourne or Melbourne Uni VFLW players currently contracted to a different club at AFLW level. Possibly they pay for their own health insurance, could also be club insurance. I'm sure there is something in place though, we won't be footing the bill if they do an ACL while playing for Brisbane or Carlton or something.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Paul Little to fly in his jet to Gills house mafioso style and demand why Essendon were denied.

 

[Zach Package]

Nothing says GET STUFFED Essendon more than them taking our players and development we are putting into the VFLW community while telling us "We are working with you to help improve your chances of getting a license in the near future. We just cannot give you a time frame of when that will be."

Its like the boss acknowledging your extra unpaid hours you put in for that "promotion" which will never happen while some knob (gold coast) benefits by leeching off the AFL coffers.

Look, We're not on our own here, it seems as though us and the Hawks are going to be principally responsible for funnelling players to higher honours because there are clubs that don't have the infrastructure that we're both in the progress of setting up.

As much as it disappoints me because we've clearly put in a lot of work I don't think there's anything wrong with sitting on our hands for now, the league is still foetal, Gil is still principally in charge (which is bad for a myriad of reason) and if I'm being brutally honest, the standard of footy will get worse before it gets better.