National AFL Women's League - Carlton Wins Licence - Post #136

[jezzajay]

Just formatted that so it was easier to read BG.

I think the fact that he is dismissing it as just a few games and downplaying professional requirements such as facilities, he has already shown he has no understanding of what the product is supposed to be, and what it is supposed to represent.

As for sponsorship, I guess we will see if the club think there is enough demand for it.

I expect the price probably won't be as high as it is for the men, which might seem to be another example of inequality but then they do have 3 different price structures for the men based on marquee players, rookies etc.

I suspect we will have to endure these issues for a while, as getting the product up and running is far more important. At the end of the day the market drives the salaries, the sponsorships and the coverage so it probably won't be an issue unless the concept launches into the stratosphere and well and truly holds its own.

Baby steps ...

Nailed it... I was having a good chat to my wife about it last night in that she is skeptical of the ladies game being something special to watch.
So she was in the frame of mind that the current level of ability would be what the game will be for the future/years ahead. I told her that the ladies will need time to gel, bond, get team plans sorted, positions etc right and this takes time, sometimes years to get right and that it will take sometime again for the game to be appealing to the lesser hardened supporters.
Thankfully all teams are starting from the same point, so they will all be on the same level playing field so to speak.

Which again re-iterates the importance of the teams chosen in what they can provide their playing lists from day one...St Kilda simply aren't up to scratch in regards to that.
When I was down a couple of weeks ago and I was in the car with Dad and we happened to be out past Sandringham (I think) and i saw a banner pointing to St Kilda headquarters which sparked a conversation for both of us around their positioning/location...and the way Dad spoke about them and the way they've fluffed around with their base over the years he sounded just as confused (and laughing) as I was about what they're up to. Right now I could not tell you the name of their base/facilities as I had given up trying to keep track of them ages ago.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Nailed it... I was having a good chat to my wife about it last night in that she is skeptical of the ladies game being something special to watch.
So she was in the frame of mind that the current level of ability would be what the game will be for the future/years ahead. I told her that the ladies will need time to gel, bond, get team plans sorted, positions etc right and this takes time, sometimes years to get right and that it will take sometime again for the game to be appealing to the lesser hardened supporters.
Thankfully all teams are starting from the same point, so they will all be on the same level playing field so to speak.

Which again re-iterates the importance of the teams chosen in what they can provide their playing lists from day one...St Kilda simply aren't up to scratch in regards to that.
When I was down a couple of weeks ago and I was in the car with Dad and we happened to be out past Sandringham (I think) and i saw a banner pointing to St Kilda headquarters which sparked a conversation for both of us around their positioning/location...and the way Dad spoke about them and the way they've fluffed around with their base over the years he sounded just as confused (and laughing) as I was about what they're up to. Right now I could not tell you the name of their base/facilities as I had given up trying to keep track of them ages ago.

The St Kilda board suggests the woman could play and train out of Trevor Barker oval. I am thinking that the men train somewhere else?

Just seems strange to take them away from the main resources of the club.

Edit: Yeah they train out of the Linen House Centre in Seaford but are moving back to Moorabbin in 2017 I believe.

 

[jezzajay]

The St Kilda board suggests the woman could play and train out of Trevor Barker oval. I am thinking that the men train somewhere else?

Just seems strange to take them away from the main resources of the club.

Edit: Yeah they train out of the Linen House Centre in Seaford but are moving back to Moorabbin in 2017 I believe.

I'm dizzy...and my weekend hasnt even started yet.

I don't know anything about the Trevor Barker facilities but from what I know of Ikon it is up to scratch and ready to go for another team to be comfortable asap. Dad pointed out to me (at Ikon during a training session) that the Rebels had left our facilities and that the umpires were training there now. Obviously we can cater for a ladies team in a professional environment and that alone would have gone a long way to getting us the nod of approval.
Would feel so much nicer and more proffesional for the team to train at Ikon than at Trevor Barker I'm sure.

 

[The_Wookie]

Just formatted that so it was easier to read BG.

I think the fact that he is dismissing it as just a few games and downplaying professional requirements such as facilities, he has already shown he has no understanding of what the product is supposed to be, and what it is supposed to represent.

I think the fact that both the Pies and the Blues have existing facilities was a big factor. But the biggest factor is the location of the talent, some of the biggest VWFL clubs are in that northern sector.

Everyones pointing at the odd staff person they've appointed ie. peta searle - like that one staff person made all the difference. problem is every club has done that lately. Not to mention Searle was appointed to the mens team, not in a womens coaching capacity.

 

[gbatman]

That's funny how Saints supporters can't see how they may have missed out.

Carlton:
- Big following = high exposure, top level facilities.
- Has made big efforts in it's application for the women's team and probably put forward a better case. Probably offered better support, staffing and coaching etc.
- Club showing signs of stability
- Kept out of the negative spotlight for quite some time.

St. Kilda:
- Significantly smaller following (facebook likes 145,871 compared to 253,496). Exposure is what they want.
- Hasn't been the greatest woman's rights advocate in recent years with the actions of past and present players.
- Doesn't have the level of facilities Carlton does.
- Has it made a big effort in it's application?

Essendon
- big following but unstable club that hasn't been honest and open with the AFL and probably has a poor working relationship with the league. Hasn't shown good player welfare practices or worked inside the rules.

Richmond
- Probably a little unlucky as they have a big following but may not be seen as professional or interested enough.

Collingwood
- Massive following, excellent facilities and financially strong, no brainer.

Hawthorn
- Massive following, excellent facilities and strong in all areas. It's probably seen that they have been given enough lately with their success.

Dees and Doggies
- Truly earned the right to have teams as they really pushed for this.

Geelong
- Can't see why they would miss out, perhaps being outside of Melbourne, it might be seen as more challenging at this stage to get women to move there. They don't have the biggest following on social media which is surprising.

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

I think the fact that both the Pies and the Blues have existing facilities was a big factor. But the biggest factor is the location of the talent, some of the biggest VWFL clubs are in that northern sector.

Everyones pointing at the odd staff person they've appointed ie. peta searle - like that one staff person made all the difference. problem is every club has done that lately. Not to mention Searle was appointed to the mens team, not in a womens coaching capacity.

They're making the appointment of Searle come across as VERY tokenistic.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Essendon and Hawthorn did not apply.

Geelong missed out even though they had an outstanding bid as they just don't have a strong representation of women's footy in their region. They need to generate interest.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

They're making the appointment of Searle come across as VERY tokenistic.

Well they are worried about Searle being poached to coach a women's team now. I'd imagine the money would be better to stay put just quietly.

 

[The_Wookie]

Essendon
- big following but unstable club that hasn't been honest and open with the AFL and probably has a poor working relationship with the league. Hasn't shown good player welfare practices or worked inside the rules.

Essendon didnt apply.

Hawthorn
- Massive following, excellent facilities and strong in all areas. It's probably seen that they have been given enough lately with their success.

Hawthorn didnt apply.

Geelong
- Can't see why they would miss out, perhaps being outside of Melbourne, it might be seen as more challenging at this stage to get women to move there. They don't have the biggest following on social media which is surprising.

The south west of the state has something of a dearth of female participation. Needs more time to develop - which is what Geelong signed up for when it partnered with the greater barwon district thingy.[/QUOTE]

 

[BluStreak]

I'm not suggesting it should only be pay TV, I'm saying that the AFL should be demanding the same coverage for the women's comp when they do their TV broadcast negotiations when it comes to subscription services. Pay TV have the time slots and channels for it to be shown where FTA channels are even more restricted by viewer numbers.

I totally agree it needs to get a good amount of FTA coverage from the start, but when it comes to Foxtel, the bare minimum should be all games broadcast.

My concern is that Foxtel is not accessible to everyone and until Foxtel change its fee structure (which is like never) it will remain inaccessible to everyone. So if coverage goes to Foxtel then the AFL is cutting off a huge amount of potential supporters.

it is a bit of a bind as commercial FTA do not really cover female sports in prime time slots very well. So potential stations are either ABC or SBS, the more community focused stations. I just think that you have to put in front of everyone to find the viewers who will become followers.

I would love to see a dedicated standalone football channel that is affordable to subscribe to.

 

[BluStreak]

I can remember as a kid that every Saturday night we would get highlights from every game played as well as the game of the week.
This was also supported by Sunday post game shows and live radio broadcasts on game day.

Granted all the games were played on Saturday. But I can see that if that was the minimum of coverage by FTA then it may be enough to generate general interest.

 

[BlueGum]

I reckon ABC and SBS would do a cracking job, not only on the coverage, but also providing an opportunity to diversify the gender and background of callers and experts.

#saynotolukedarcy

 

[thylacine60]

I reckon ABC and SBS would do a cracking job, not only on the coverage, but also providing an opportunity to diversify the gender and background of callers and experts.

#saynotolukedarcy

Best # ever.

 

[The_Wookie]

I reckon ABC and SBS would do a cracking job, not only on the coverage, but also providing an opportunity to diversify the gender and background of callers and experts.

#saynotolukedarcy

One of the labour party's election promises is to increase the amount of womens sport shown on the ABC, so its a possibility. The league can also do what it does with the state coverage and pay for it to be shown on 7/7mate until it takes off (costs are recovered thorugh in game advertising)

 

[BALKAN]

ABC cut their coverage of the W-league a few years ago, leaving it to Foxsports to only show 1 game per round.
AFL is a bigger brand though so hopefully whoever does the broadcasting does a better job of it.

 

[BluStreak]

I just remember watching the NBL on ABC and from that going to actual games with Work mates.
Who also discovered the NBL from the ABC coverage. Whilst I never became a Giant's member several of my mates did.
All because of FTA coverage.

 

[kingkingston]

i'm not excited by it and most women will prefer watching the AFL anyway. Can't see it getting big crowds and wonder how the funding will go.

 

[thylacine60]

You sound like someone from the 19th Century.

 

[Tony Lynn 15]

My concern is that Foxtel is not accessible to everyone and until Foxtel change its fee structure (which is like never) it will remain inaccessible to everyone. So if coverage goes to Foxtel then the AFL is cutting off a huge amount of potential supporters.

it is a bit of a bind as commercial FTA do not really cover female sports in prime time slots very well. So potential stations are either ABC or SBS, the more community focused stations. I just think that you have to put in front of everyone to find the viewers who will become followers.

I would love to see a dedicated standalone football channel that is affordable to subscribe to.

If it is popular enough and pays the bills it will be on free to air. If it isn't, like all other programs it won't.

 

[kingkingston]

You sound like someone from the 19th Century.

nothing to do with the 19th century, i'm just stating facts. Unless they get crowds there, the AFL will lose money on this. Women will still prefer to watch the mens game even though they now have their own comp.

 

[thylacine60]

News alert: women will rather watch men's than women's footy. Stop the presses.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

nothing to do with the 19th century, i'm just stating facts. Unless they get crowds there, the AFL will lose money on this. Women will still prefer to watch the mens game even though they now have their own comp.

It's not a money making competition. Never was. People going on about standard of play and crowds are missing the point.

It is a deliberate victory for diversity, for giving women a pathway. However .... get young girls to play AFL, get their families involved, get more parts of the community on board. That may mean more targeted sponsors, it may mean more memberships for the AFL teams. There will be so many things that could come out of this that may not reflect in crowds.

The standard will take a long while to rise incrementally.

 

[kingkingston]

It's not a money making competition. Never was. People going on about standard of play and crowds are missing the point.

It is a deliberate victory for diversity, for giving women a pathway. However .... get young girls to play AFL, get their families involved, get more parts of the community on board. That may mean more targeted sponsors, it may mean more memberships for the AFL teams. There will be so many things that could come out of this that may not reflect in crowds.

The standard will take a long while to rise incrementally.

Anytime salaries come in to play, a comp is a money making comp. If you don't make money, you can't pay the salaries.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Anytime salaries come in to play, a comp is a money making comp. If you don't make money, you can't pay the salaries.

It is supported by a money making comp, therein lies the difference. The AFL will continue to spend money on GWS for example as it is a battle for territory and breeding grounds with the NRL. In this case, it is a battle for breeding grounds with other women's sports.

The marquee players will get $25k, everyone else will get $10k initiially. Squads will be a lot smaller than AFL clubs.

Carlton already have sponsorship for our Women's side. The AFL will get a heap more sponsorship to sustain the comp.

Get more women involved in the sport and you get the consumers, you get the participation from their kids, you get more participation from sponsors, you take the product away from the boozy, sweary male dominated crowds to a passionate family environment ... hopefully. Still get the excitement and the passion in the crowds, just not as obnoxious. Just the way sports are going now.

 

[kingkingston]

It is supported by a money making comp, therein lies the difference. The AFL will continue to spend money on GWS for example as it is a battle for territory and breeding grounds with the NRL. In this case, it is a battle for breeding grounds with other women's sports.

The marquee players will get $25k, everyone else will get $10k initiially. Squads will be a lot smaller than AFL clubs.

Carlton already have sponsorship for our Women's side. The AFL will get a heap more sponsorship to sustain the comp.

Get more women involved in the sport and you get the consumers, you get the participation from their kids, you get more participation from sponsors, you take the product away from the boozy, sweary male dominated crowds to a passionate family environment ... hopefully. Still get the excitement and the passion in the crowds, just not as obnoxious. Just the way sports are going now.

as long long as they get it right and it doesn't end up costing the club too much money. In the long run, i'm sure there will be profits to be made when the comp is sound and running smoothly. I'm not sure at the time of the comp though, might have been better playing it in to the AFL season so they can have curtain raisers before Premiership games.