Women's Footy a big success?

[Frank Gallagher]

Can't really declare it a success yet, need to wait until the honeymoon period is over, if the ratings/crowds remain solid throughout the season then we can declare it.

 

[Since 2001]

I do love how the whingers in this thread think they're the target audience. You're not. This is/will be bringing a large number of new people to the game as well as cater for those who have wanted an AFLW for years already. Look into the crowd at any of the 4 games so far - it is visually quite a different crowd. The interest is clearly there judging by the crowds and ratings. Sure they'll decrease slightly as the season continues, but clearly there is a very strong base out there that makes the AFLW viable. AFLW is a massive success so far.

free entry helps doesn't it?
The afl is targeting at afl fans, as they said it will fill our need for footy while we are waiting….hahaha.
What do you mean by visually different? No females and males?

 

[marty36]

I disagree with on standard not be relevant.
It is extremely important and let's see what happens when it has competition for spectators .
I honestly don't see soccer as being the big challenger to the AFL, although not a huge follower I think NRL is starting to make ground at grass roots level.
They play their second teir and best age restricted development sides as previews to the NRL major game, they play many games mid week and put on the best grand final in the country by a fair margin.
From entertainment value I and I would suggest the majority of others, would watch NRL before watching AFL women's

Do you think the standard will eventually catch up to stare leagues, remember a lot of AFL players get beaten by state league players quite easily?

 

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

You realise they're playing almost half the game length compared to the men right?


So you should multiply the scores by x2. Also in the mens game, most scoring usually comes when the game opens up from fatigue, which obviously doesn't happen when your playing such short quarters (unlike most other physical attributes, there isn't that much of a difference in endurance between men and women).

Either way, it's the first week of the first season and they only had 1 practice match coming into the season. Let's see how it is a few weeks in.

It always come back to the length doesn't it

 

[Micksy]

So you should multiply the scores by x2.

Nope. Increase them by 80%.

 

[boydee]

They might have got decent crowds and tv ratings for the games but when 4 of the teams only scored one goal for the whole game and none of the games were close contests I don't think you can call it a big success from a football point of view.

If games continue to be one sided low scoring affairs I can see the interest from the public dropping off pretty quickly.

Another positive comment from Plugger. Seeing young ladies putting in their bodies to win a hard ball, seeing how excited they are to be out there, seeing the joy on young girls faces in the crowd watching their heroes, seeing players with skill like Katie Brennan and many others and yet Plugger doesnt think it was a success from a football point of view just because teams cant kick more goals.

 

[marty36]

Another positive comment from Plugger. Seeing young ladies putting in their bodies to win a hard ball, seeing how excited they are to be out there, seeing the joy on young girls faces in the crowd watching their heroes, seeing players with skill like Katie Brennan and many others and yet Plugger doesnt think it was a success from a football point of view just because teams cant kick more goals.

It's 100% a success In fact probably the last sport to actually do it!, the AFL should be critisized for this being the case, I actually can't think of another sport that doesn't have both sexes playing it

 

[radiojake]

i thought they played 15 minute quarters…..? Because thats what i thought i heard on the tv. Men play 20 mins. which would mean women play one less quarter. so its still not the best but there is improvement.

No time on in the women's matches except after goals

so out of bounds, ball ups etc the clock kept ticking

 

[Crawb]

free entry helps doesn't it?
The afl is targeting at afl fans, as they said it will fill our need for footy while we are waiting….hahaha.
What do you mean by visually different? No females and males?

The AFL doesn't care if the typical Trump supporting knob doesn't care about AFLW. They know a number of AFL fans will never follow AFLW. It exists to target a new market and like I said it was ~also~ catering to those who have wanted AFLW for awhile.

I mean the demographics were different.

 

[radiojake]

I personally loved it and I'm annoyed I won't be able to get to the Bulldogs v Crows game next Friday due to other commitments

But I agree that this format should stay the same for a couple of seasons atleast - 8 teams and in Feb/ March

That way the women get to go back to their local clubs during the winter and help improve the standard and depth of local competitions

 

[SCRAY72]

Another positive comment from Plugger. Seeing young ladies putting in their bodies to win a hard ball, seeing how excited they are to be out there, seeing the joy on young girls faces in the crowd watching their heroes, seeing players with skill like Katie Brennan and many others and yet Plugger doesnt think it was a success from a football point of view just because teams cant kick more goals.

St.Kilda regularly kicked only one goal per game when the VFL first started in 1897. Should have kicked them out if the comp with University and replaced them with Willy or Port.

 

[tunksy]

The afl need to be patient here. Dont expand it at all for a good 5 years. The talent pool isnt deep enough currently.

Keep it to the suburban grounds. Keep it on its current format and time slot. Good period of the year to play with lack of other sports.

Quality and skills will grow in time too.
Id like the grand final to be played in the higher finishing teams state. Crowds arent big enough to demand the G

 

[radiojake]

St.Kilda regularly kicked only one goal per game when the VFL first started in 1897. Should have kicked them out if the comp with University and replaced them with Willy or Port.

University went on hiatus with WW1 and never returned - They weren't kicked out, as such. Plus their rule of players needing a bachelor degree was never going to be sustainable

St Kilda were invited to the VFL purely because of Junction Oval -

 

[Frank Gallagher]

Another positive comment from Plugger. Seeing young ladies putting in their bodies to win a hard ball, seeing how excited they are to be out there, seeing the joy on young girls faces in the crowd watching their heroes, seeing players with skill like Katie Brennan and many others and yet Plugger doesnt think it was a success from a football point of view just because teams cant kick more goals.

He makes a valid point.

 

[SCRAY72]

It's 100% a success In fact probably the last sport to actually do it!, the AFL should be critisized for this being the case, I actually can't think of another sport that doesn't have both sexes playing it

Rugby League? Do they have a women's comp?

 

[boydee]

St.Kilda regularly kicked only one goal per game when the VFL first started in 1897. Should have kicked them out if the comp with University and replaced them with Willy or Port.

Good one Scray!!!

 

[Pessimistic]

Spot where women compete directly against men?

Equestrian. And many of the horses are female too

 

[doppleganger]

Not trying to be a hater, but did anybody watch the ESPN 30 for 30 doco on the XFL recently?

The first game attracted 54 million TV viewers, which was more than the Baseball World series, and packed stadiums.

But a few mistakes, and poor standard of football and people turned off quickly....it spiralled and died in one year.

Need to see the numbers hold up for a few more weeks yet before declaring it a success.

 

[Percel]

One swallow does not a weekend make....

#ornithology

 

[Jugada]

Do you think the standard will eventually catch up to stare leagues, remember a lot of AFL players get beaten by state league players quite easily?

The standard is clearly never going to get to state league levels. Its pretty unlikely it will ever even get to regional levels. It doesn't have to though, the skills just have to get to a level that make the game visually appealing

The top WTA women would struggle against the junior boys coming up in tennis, but womens tennis is probably the most popular womens sport in the world. It's not really about getting to a level that would be competitive with the men.

The level has been pretty poor for 3 out of the 4 games so far though (bit unfair for the game played in those conditions today probably) so no way could you call it a success right now. Its a decent base though to build from and re-evaluate at the end of the season

 

[Sydney Kicker]

Not trying to be a hater, but did anybody watch the ESPN 30 for 30 doco on the XFL recently?

The first game attracted 54 million TV viewers, which was more than the Baseball World series, and packed stadiums.

But a few mistakes, and poor standard of football and people turned off quickly....it spiralled and died in one year.

Need to see the numbers hold up for a few more weeks yet before declaring it a success.

Way different type of audience for the XFL - and it was competing with NFL (and professional wrestling).

AFLW will complement the AFL and continue to attract families and club supporters and AFL fans starved of the blokes game in the offseason. I think the large crowds will stay - there will be plenty of people who didn't go this weekend who will be regretting it after seeing it was a success and will make the effort next week. Sure the skills weren't top notch but I'd say the kids and most of the adults didn't care as long as the women had a red hot go, which they did. It was fun to watch and the standard will only improve, some of the women playing this weekend have only played a handful of games. I'll be watching again and my club isn't even represented.

 

[IronMike]

i thought they played 15 minute quarters…..? Because thats what i thought i heard on the tv. Men play 20 mins. which would mean women play one less quarter. so its still not the best but there is improvement.

i would also have to say that the time given would include stoppage time which means nothing in actual football time…..

I thought Champion Data's stats were pretty clear cut. %80 less game time. This is because time doesn't stop for stoppages, behinds or throw-ins. So AFLW games will always be significantly shorter, and thus the scoring will be lower.

 

[Stevi_Tigers]

happy for the girls involved but the skills are s**t house

 

[gorilla92]

lol, no one will even remember the women's league existed come 10 years time

 

[10571z]

A few people suggest they should be curtain raisers which personally i hate. Im not going to rock up to a collingwood game hours early and sit through 7 hours of football.

Also if the men and women played on the same weekend at different times i would only travel to one game and it would always be the mens. I think they need to keep the time of the league for years to come.