Women's Footy Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce slams suggested changes to the AFLW fixture as ‘gimmicky’

[FRUMPY]

By rnd 6 no one is watching anyway (check the women's forum). 6 games plus finals is perfect to get some attention and media coverage.

Then the players go back to the vfl and ply their trade and hopefully improve their skills and ability as most are very average footballers.

The dumbest part of the whole thing next year is 2 extra clubs. If anythi g they should have gotten rid of 2 clubs to make get rid of some of those players who are not up to u15 level.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[ziad]

who cares

 

[PerthBoy86]

The point is, it's not men's football, it's women's football. Consider it almost a different sport.

I have daughters who now play Aussie rules. It's changed their life.

VFL football is not on a par with AFL and no-one watches it but they still play a whole season.

For AFLW - just play 6 games prior to Christmas and 6 games after Christmas with a 4 week break in between.

Won't heat be a problem though?

 

[PerthBoy86]

Honestly I agree it is kind of a gimmick at this stage, but it's also early days so hard to know how much it'll develop. I think more needs to be done to continue to develop grass roots footy for girls/women to get the standard up. I do think the skill level can definitely improve, its not just a gender thing. The difference between the good and average players is very noticeable. I mean, dropping a 20 metre chest mark in dry weather consistently would be inexusable at junior level. Also a 35 metre set shot goal should be kickable for the average AFLW player. Might seem weightist, but the way a few of the girls playing AFLW look and move just makes it seem even more amatuerish. I mean, I hope it grows, but I don't think it'll be ever more than a preseason diversion, like the NAB Cup or any of the AFL's other sideshows.

 

[Teen Wolf]

By rnd 6 no one is watching anyway (check the women's forum).

I wonder if the men's pre-season being in full swing by then has any impact.

 

[FRUMPY]

I wonder if the men's pre-season being in full swing by then has any impact.

No doubt. Whole part of the problem. Gotta get the skills ability up before putting it up against other sports. Have a shortened season that gives media coverage then they go back to vflw to improve.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Teen Wolf]

No doubt. Whole part of the problem. Gotta get the skills ability up before putting it up against other sports. Have a shortened season that gives media coverage then they go back to vflw to improve.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

I don't think putting it up against other sports is as counterproductive as putting it up against the same sport, though.

 

[hawks787]

Trust the AFL to ruin the national women's football league

Well they're hell bent on ruining the men's, why shouldn't the women be included?

 

[MarblesFolly]

....and Gil now realises he tried putting lipstick on a pig so he is going to hope he can make it disband quietly over the next 3 or so years.

 

[Redline]

I wonder if other sports will follow given the AFL invented woman's sport.

 

[Cincinnatus]

AFLW can be the first to trial everyone plays each other twice. Triple the length of their season, quadruple. Who cares. It wont impact the viewership of the AO.

Few will watch until the GF.

 

[Seadog]

AFLW is s**t. I have a girlfriend, she thinks it's pointless and a waste of money. Most people that defend AFLW just love to play the sexist card.

Well that settles it then, your girlfriend(dubious claim) doesn't like it so wind the whole thing up.
Pretty amazing that a couple of Rhodes scholars like you and your girlfriend got together, well done.

 

[Topkent]

Well that settles it then, your girlfriend(dubious claim) doesn't like it so wind the whole thing up.
Pretty amazing that a couple of Rhodes scholars like you and your girlfriend got together, well done.

An there it is, the people who think they are morally correct turn straight to personal attacks unable to believe people don't agree with them all the time

 

[Banyo Bloods]

I'm fairly certain people who hang s**t on AFLw have never actually spoken to a woman.

I've got a credit card mate I speak to women all the time.

 

[its free real estate]

The fundamental issue with women's football is an undeniable economic reality - the product is simply never going to reach the level to compete with the men's game.

Give consumers a choice to pay for a superior product, or an inferior product, and they buy the better product every time, whilst well intentioned it really has been one of the most mis-guided attempts to create parity between the sexes - the physical reality will never allow the womens game to be on par with Mens AFL. We have to be big enough to accept that, it will forever be a side-show, it's just not a good product.

AFLW is a loss leader designed to encourage young girls to play footy, thereby cutting the appeal of soccer off at the knees.

The long term issue for footy is that time-pressured parents with both girls and boys decide to have their kids play the same sport. The only sport that has been able to reliably do this around the country until now is soccer. Women's footy being relevant makes inroads to this. You can take all your children to play footy now.

The problem is the modern AFL have no idea how to market a product that wasn't already long established for them. Look at the main competition, they still hold on to rivalries that haven't been relevant since the 70s because they're clueless about the modern game.

 

[Dee Train]

I thought AFLW was a gimmick?

 

[No SPIN]

Administrators of ELITE women’s sports (where we are world competitive) eg Basketball, Soccer etc. are rightly disgruntled as they fear for their sports. AFLW which by comparison, has very very poor skill development and is a very poor spectacle has threaten their viability by taking sponsorship and potential TV exposure.

It’s a National disgrace how these sports have been marginalized and their long term viability threatened by the power of the AFL.
Further, AFL’s absurd quest for ratings domination with AFLW, AFLX and expansion teams, is detracting from the focus on their core business and the traditional fans of our great game.

The AFL pours funds into these money losing side shows yet has no money for a team in TAS - go figure!

 

[master bate]

The season should start in the Aug/Sep pre finals bye week. That's round 1.

Then have a rest for a week for AFL finals week 1, then continue during the semi finals and prelim weeks - rounds 2-3.

Break for the grand final, then rounds 4-7 in October. 8-11 in November. 2 weeks of finals in late Nov/Early Dec.

11 rounds with 12 teams is perfect.

Get it in and done before the big bash starts. Easy enough to work around spring carnival (which is really only 3 or 4 big Saturdays in October/Nov) and test cricket etc.

There will never be enough time in the late summer/Autumn time and no one will want to consistently watch women's footy when the men's stuff is up and going. Better to start and overlap with the men's (as above) and then get clear air to finish the season. Also has the benefit of mostly being played in Spring when the weather isn't as hot and the ground aren't as firm = less ACL's.

There will have to be some shuffling around with grounds (although most of the current ones are dedicated football ovals) and with state league seasons finishing by early August to allow for a short preseason period but that can only be an advantage I think. Get the women after they've played a 10 game VFLW season, given them a freshen up and then put them in for the top level for a decent season.

 

[Orange Agent]

Time to start integrating it into proper footy season, play the finals as curtain raisers/thursday nights during the opening rounds of AFL season. See if it sinks or swims, cant keep expanding if it cant survive.

 

[parano1a]

Why not just play 3 non-televised rounds then 6 televised rounds?
The women get to play a full season, broadcasters get the product they want.
The clubs can livestream the non-TV games as is currently done for many VFL games.

 

[master bate]

For those complaining about costs it's really not that hard for the AFL and clubs to recoup the costs with memberships and a tv deal. They don't need huge ratings, crowds or membership numbers to pay 30 girls about an average of 15k each.

The women want to be full time paid professionals but I think they're more than happy being part time semi-professional athletes who get to play in a professional competition. Men were happy doing that for decades in a wide range of sports. Certainly the money helps and it would be a long term goal to have all players if not full time then well paid for their part time efforts, but the initial goal is to make the competition professional in how it is run. That's the disappointing thing about Gil's comments today.

 

[mike91]

Well that settles it then, your girlfriend(dubious claim) doesn't like it so wind the whole thing up.
Pretty amazing that a couple of Rhodes scholars like you and your girlfriend got together, well done.

The irony in your childish post is astonishing.

An there it is, the people who think they are morally correct turn straight to personal attacks unable to believe people don't agree with them all the time

This

 

[SdKfz 181]

She’s right, it’s a Mickey Mouse competition..

 

[BF Tiger]

So... the AFL want to pay them the same money for less work and they're upset about it?

 

[peternorth]

Dunno. the first game was a sell out and people were confident the league would continue in the same vein. Posters who denounced the play(ers) were shouted down here.