AFLW 2020 Expansion Announcements, News

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Extracted from Jatz14 comments.
I suspect a reason for the slow build up to the number of games in a season is, you just cannot take 500 or so women who were playing amateur footy, dump them in a national, full on, professional expectations league, while working full time, and play a 3 month season, and hope womens bodies prove up to it.
The most sensible comments yet about the length and number of matches in future seasons.
 
TWLS said:
Extracted from Jatz14 comments.
I suspect a reason for the slow build up to the number of games in a season is, you just cannot take 500 or so women who were playing amateur footy, dump them in a national, full on, professional expectations league, while working full time, and play a 3 month season, and hope womens bodies prove up to it.
The most sensible comments yet about the length and number of matches in future seasons.
Click to expand...


All true, but I think another aspect is the $$$.

AFLW is costing the AFL a significant amount, and a longer season would need to include both more (bigger lists) and bigger pay packets.

We're probably looking at adding a few million to the AFL's costs with every additional game, and while yes, they probably can afford it, you have to ask if it would have a benefit worthy of those extra costs.
 

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It appears we will have Conferences again in 2020. In it's embryonic stage, I accept the conferences are needed if we are not yet going to have a 14 team comp. with 13 H & A Rounds; &, also, a 3 weeks Finals' system.

It is ominous when N. Livingstone uses the words "window of time" as a possible restraint on the season length. This might indicate we are, again, having a 7 weeks H & A system in 2020- PATHETIC!
There will be a HUGE outcry/outrage from the AFLW players, prominent AFLW supporters (eg S. Alberti), the public etc if it is again 7 H & A Rounds. E. Kearney has already stated that the vast majority of AFLW players are very dissatisfied with such a short H & A season.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/04/16/aflw-committee-recommends-conferences-for-2020-season/

Women play a full season in State Leagues (eg VFLW-16 wks,+ Finals)- & can (ie physically) play a full season in the AFLW.

The AFLW Rules may need to be amended to reduce the (record nos.) ugly, congested tackle-ball/stoppages- ball game style. Less congestion will result in less tackle nos./"time" for players to execute their skills more cleanly; & more open play should reduce the AFLW player sore bodies/injury rates. More free-flowing play will also increase average AFLW scores- which is crucial to increase AFLW popularity.

The AFL's own expert, Prof. K. Norton (who said tackle/bump/push/collision injuries are at record highs in the AFL) suggested interchange rotations in the AFL should be reduced to a maximum of 20-40 per game. Chairman M. Fitzpatrick wanted a maximum of 30 per team. I prefer c. 4-6 interchanges per team in the AFLW (not including blood rule, head knock assessments)- played in summer heat. Also, only 2 on the bench.

If, however, the AFL have solid evidence/reasons to believe that the standard of the average player will drop in 2020 (due to addition of 4 new Clubs), then it would be valid to retain a 7 week H & A season.

Influential AFLW broadcaster K. Underwood made the good suggestions that the AFLW should:-

. start on Jan 1st, & be a 10 wk H & A season in 2020

. not be unduly fearful of the BBL & Aust Tennis Open

. have clear air for H & A games, from the AFL season, including the AFLW GF

. not have had the AFLW GF competing with the NM V Brisbane AFL game- as that concurrent game had a Ratings of 160,000 (& potentially "robbing" the AFLW GF of these viewers)

. during the Aust. Open, play AFLW games at the adjacent Punt Rd & Olympic Park- some of the 700,000 attending the Aust. Open might also want to see some/all of an AFLW game. (I'm not sure these small venues are suitable- perhaps Punt Rd, capacity 4,000, if playing non-Vic. team)

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/04/04/aflw-should-go-head-to-head-with-aus-open-bbl/
(This is a harbinger of the avalanche of justifiable criticism the AFL will attract whilst it perseveres with a "Mickey Mouse/Minnie Mouse" 7 weeks H & A season)
 
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Not only do I think we are getting a seven week season, but there is a danger that it will be a seven week season with two byes a week.

Think about it. Two conferences of seven. If you only play within your conference, that means there will be one team from each conference every week that gets a bye. So the clubs will go from playing seven minor rounds, to six.

Or, alternatively, each team has to play exactly one team from the other conference. Sucks if you're paired up with the top team! Alternatively, whichever team gets paired up with 2020's version of Collingwood gets a win for free, massive in a comp with only seven rounds. It would be a shame if a team misses out on finals because they had to play the best team in another conference while the team that gets into the finals got to play the bottom side. I'll bet it happens to Melbourne again.

I really don't see a way around this, short of playing a slightly longer season so there is more than just a single cross-conference match per team. At least if there are two or three you can hope that on average everyone will have a good mix of opponents. I'd take Kelli's suggestion but make it nine rounds and start a week later. Six opponents in your own conference, three from the other conference.

Edit: An alternative would be to make the finals series itself longer. Perhaps even four weeks. Use the seven weeks in the conference system (along with the two byes a week) to arrive two ladders, trim off some number of bottom sides from each, and then play each of the remaining sides from the other conference. There are various models for how to slowly eliminate the worst teams each week, or even don't eliminate any until all remaining cross-conference matches have been played and determine grand finallists from that.

At least that way, every team in the finals has had to play every other team in the finals exactly once before the GF.
 
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Mentioned above but what an interesting idea to have the AFLW on around the same time as the Aus open. Make them day games so they don't clash with the big tennis matches at night. Punt rd oval would be packed out. International travellers might take a look.
 
Interesting to read today Queensland will be split up into two (or technically three*) recruiting zones, similar to Victoria. This at least goes a long way to solving the problem previously discussed in another thread (can't remember which) where one of the Suns or Lions can have their draft position devalued simply because the other club trades a player out for picks from a non-QLD team.

This doesn't remove the potential for disparity between the two club's access to talent, but it does give them a bit more control over their destiny--both through their junior development programs and convincing players to nominate for their zone*.

*In the same way players in Vic can choose to nominate for Metro, Geelong or statewide: so too can QLD players nominate for the Suns zone, Lions zone or statewide.
 
Teen Wolf said:
Interesting to read today Queensland will be split up into two (or technically three*) recruiting zones, similar to Victoria. This at least goes a long way to solving the problem previously discussed in another thread (can't remember which) where one of the Suns or Lions can have their draft position devalued simply because the other club trades a player out for picks from a non-QLD team.

This doesn't remove the potential for disparity between the two club's access to talent, but it does give them a bit more control over their destiny--both through their junior development programs and convincing players to nominate for their zone*.

*In the same way players in Vic can choose to nominate for Metro, Geelong or statewide: so too can QLD players nominate for the Suns zone, Lions zone or statewide.
Click to expand...

Shame you didnt link ... not sure more is always better.
 
Kwality said:
Shame you didnt link ... not sure more is always better.
Click to expand...
womens.afl

AFLW Latest News - AFL.com.au/aflw

Latest breaking AFLW news from the official website of the Australian Football League.
womens.afl womens.afl

If your skepticism is about increased teams rather than zones, ftr I think the Suns will get smashed in 2020. However I thought it would be ugly for Geelong this year and was somewhat wrong (had the worst % and mostly played a dour lockdown style, but still won 3 games despite a bad run of injuries).

Still, the rate of overall improvement (both in player depth and quality of matches) has been greater than the rate of expansion to date. Even if that plateaus next year, all the signs suggest it will quickly pick up shortly thereafter.
 
Teen Wolf said:
womens.afl

AFLW Latest News - AFL.com.au/aflw

Latest breaking AFLW news from the official website of the Australian Football League.
womens.afl womens.afl

If your skepticism is about increased teams rather than zones, ftr I think the Suns will get smashed in 2020. However I thought it would be ugly for Geelong this year and was somewhat wrong (had the worst % and mostly played a dour lockdown style, but still won 3 games despite a bad run of injuries).

Still, the rate of overall improvement (both in player depth and quality of matches) has been greater than the rate of expansion to date. Even if that plateaus next year, all the signs suggest it will quickly pick up shortly thereafter.
Click to expand...

In the womens game, no probs ... amazing what context does, particularly when you are commenting on that article.
 
From the gae.

CBA put to the players, with length of season being the thing attracting most attention.


The proposal offered to players is for the 2020 season to run for 11 weeks, consisting of eight-home and-away rounds and three weeks of finals, and for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns to stretch to 12 weeks (nine home-and-away rounds plus three weeks of finals)

This suggests conferences are here to stay until at least 2022, and the next round of expansion may not be until 2023.

With 14 teams in 2020 - 22, why leave it at 9 home and away games, they are just 4 short of a full fixture. Just bite the bullet and do it.
 

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Great news for the 2020 AFLW season. The AFL & AFLPA has proposed to the players that the season should be 11 weeks- 8 wks comp. matches + 3 wks Finals' series.
Well done AFL!
Nothing mentioned on the actual start of the comp. I hope it doesn't intrude into the AFL season- AFLW needs clear media air, to maximise public & media interest/ratings/crowds.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...flw-players-weigh-up-cba-20190910-p52pw9.html

How will Ch. 7 schedule AFLW, to minimise direct competition from Tennis Open & BBL Finals matches?

EDIT:
Jatz beat me to it!
 
jatz14 said:
From the gae.

CBA put to the players, with length of season being the thing attracting most attention.


The proposal offered to players is for the 2020 season to run for 11 weeks, consisting of eight-home and-away rounds and three weeks of finals, and for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns to stretch to 12 weeks (nine home-and-away rounds plus three weeks of finals)

This suggests conferences are here to stay until at least 2022, and the next round of expansion may not be until 2023.

With 14 teams in 2020 - 22, why leave it at 9 home and away games, they are just 4 short of a full fixture. Just bite the bullet and do it.
Click to expand...
Again, flip flopping on this. 12 weeks may be a decent compromise for a few years, even though I am sure it will grate on the players. It will also be costing a bomb. AFLW wages are tied to hours, longer season means every player in the league gets a pay rise, even if the rates stay the same, which I doubt they will. Add 120 extra players, and thats a lot of extra coin that has to be found.

On the flip side (again), a lot of that coin is coming from clubs new to AFLW, not from the AFL, or clubs that have already been paying. An AFLW season is hardly going to break WCE for instance.
 
BringBackTorps said:
Great news for the 2020 AFLW season. The AFL & AFLPA has proposed to the players that the season should be 11 weeks- 8 wks comp. matches + 3 wks Finals' series.
Well done AFL!
Nothing mentioned on the actual start of the comp. I hope it doesn't intrude into the AFL season- AFLW needs clear media air, to maximise public & media interest/ratings/crowds.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...flw-players-weigh-up-cba-20190910-p52pw9.html

How will Ch. 7 schedule AFLW, to minimise direct competition from Tennis Open & BBL Finals matches?

EDIT:
Jatz beat me to it!
Click to expand...
Still not a full season, but at least it has not stagnated. A 3 month season is decent.
 
jatz14 said:
With 14 teams in 2020 - 22, why leave it at 9 home and away games, they are just 4 short of a full fixture. Just bite the bullet and do it.
Click to expand...
Suggests to me conferences and nine rounds is the league's longish-term vision, even when the last four teams are added (meaning everybody plays each other in their own conference as well as one cross-conference game each to avoid byes). So I'll be surprised if the players are able to even get the 10-plus-3 for 2022.

BringBackTorps said:
Nothing mentioned on the actual start of the comp. I hope it doesn't intrude into the AFL season- AFLW needs clear media air, to maximise public & media interest/ratings/crowds.
Click to expand...
I don't mind it overlapping, just needs to be done differently to the first three seasons. If the men's season went back to a split Round 1 (the first half of which they can play their wacky matches in China, USA, the moon etc) then that opens up a lot of room for the first two weeks of the AFLW finals. Then Round 2 would coincide with the grand final, as it did this year which I liked and would like even more if they settle on a dedicated standalone timeslot for it.
 
From the AFLW website

The new AFLW CBA will expire on October 31, 2022, the same date as both the AFL CBA and the broadcast deal.

It will also come with a hefty pay rise for players, particularly in 2020, the first season of the deal.

Players will have their pay increased by 21 per cent in 2020, and then an additional 10 and 11 per cent year on year.

Total player payments across the 14 clubs will increase by 106 per cent from 2019 to 2022, with a significant part of that total rise due to the four new teams entering the competition.

Of interest, this deal expires the same time as the mens deal and the broadcast deal. If we are going to see change, we will see it then. I can see broadcasters coming under significant pressure to put in some coin for broadcasting AFLW. I can imagine them being willing to do it and run at zero profit, or even a loss, if it makes their offer for the full package more attractive.

It also makes the next 3 years critical. If the AFLW can do half decent and attract some interest, so its seen as having some value in its own right, then that augurs well for a decent deal. If the deal is just struck to keep the AFL happy during negotiations, then it will not be nearly as good.

The moaners will also be complaining about the low pay, but bottom tier layers in 2017 were getting $8500 and top tier players were getting $17000

A summary of the deal over the years, with 2020-2022 guesstimated based on the stated % rises, noting we are not sure of the number of tiers even, and also noting that this is a base, players can get more with other payments.

I did hear an interview with Trent Cooper talking about the Eagles getting Dana Hooker, and he intimated they could pay her anything they wanted, so Freo had no way to counter.


201720182019202020212022
Level 1$17000$20000$24600$29856$32570$36222
Level 2$12000$14000$19000$22990$25290$28100
Level 3$8500$10500$16200$19600$21560$23930
Level 4$8500$13400$16214$17840$19800
 
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