Teen Wolf
Norm Smith Medallist
- Jul 5, 2011
- 8,104
- 8,911
- AFL Club
- North Melbourne
- Other Teams
- Afghanistan women's cricket team
A couple of years ago I sardonically commented on here that a prestigious sporting event like the FIFA World Cup only requires teams to play about half-a-dozen games at most... so why should AFLW be any different?? I didn’t expect Gillon McLachlan to seriously make the same argument a few months later in radio interviews. Well, he wasn’t really being serious, except insofar to make a valid point about ideal scenarios vs logistical realities.
Since then, the AFL has committed to the following increments for the women's competition structure.
2018: 7 rounds + grand final
2019: 7 rounds + 2 weeks of finals
2020: 8 rounds + 3 weeks of finals (at least that’s what it was supposed to be)
2021: 9 rounds + 3 weeks of finals
2022: 10 rounds + 3 weeks of finals
The two key questions are: How much more does the season need to grow? And where on the calendar is it going to fit?
I think the above increases will get the season very close to its optimal length. Imo there doesn’t appear to be a way for the AFLW season to ever run for longer than four months without severely undermining its ability to thrive as a product. My preference would be to have 11 rounds + 4 weeks of finals from late August to mid-December, thereby avoiding the two months of the year that are the least suitable for football. Most importantly, it would also mean AFLW would never have to be scheduled among, or be cannibalised by, nine games of the men’s AFL comp per week.
I can't help but sense a nagging, petty and immature tone permeating criticisms of “the AFL’s go-slow approach” (as it’s often referred to in hopeless editorials which offer no feasible solution). The most common catchphrase focuses on how teams should all play each other at least once, otherwise the competition is a “joke”. Citing the FIFA World Cup is undoubtedly a cheap response to a cheap jibe. But highlighting the NFL—in which 32 teams play just 16 regular season games—is fair, and it should be accounted for by those who say an eleven-round H&A season in a league of 14 (or even 18) teams simply won’t cut it.
Any credible opposition to my proposal should also attempt to solve the Summer Heat and Clear Window problems, as well as considering the impact of a longer season on issues like list size.
Since then, the AFL has committed to the following increments for the women's competition structure.
2018: 7 rounds + grand final
2019: 7 rounds + 2 weeks of finals
2020: 8 rounds + 3 weeks of finals (at least that’s what it was supposed to be)
2021: 9 rounds + 3 weeks of finals
2022: 10 rounds + 3 weeks of finals
The two key questions are: How much more does the season need to grow? And where on the calendar is it going to fit?
I think the above increases will get the season very close to its optimal length. Imo there doesn’t appear to be a way for the AFLW season to ever run for longer than four months without severely undermining its ability to thrive as a product. My preference would be to have 11 rounds + 4 weeks of finals from late August to mid-December, thereby avoiding the two months of the year that are the least suitable for football. Most importantly, it would also mean AFLW would never have to be scheduled among, or be cannibalised by, nine games of the men’s AFL comp per week.
I can't help but sense a nagging, petty and immature tone permeating criticisms of “the AFL’s go-slow approach” (as it’s often referred to in hopeless editorials which offer no feasible solution). The most common catchphrase focuses on how teams should all play each other at least once, otherwise the competition is a “joke”. Citing the FIFA World Cup is undoubtedly a cheap response to a cheap jibe. But highlighting the NFL—in which 32 teams play just 16 regular season games—is fair, and it should be accounted for by those who say an eleven-round H&A season in a league of 14 (or even 18) teams simply won’t cut it.
Any credible opposition to my proposal should also attempt to solve the Summer Heat and Clear Window problems, as well as considering the impact of a longer season on issues like list size.