AFLW: new era faces great expectations as changing of the guard looms large

From the Matildas effect to a Paris Olympics gold rush, evidence is mounting that Australian women athletes can have considerable success – and attract significant interest – when backed by the necessary investment.

But rather than double down in an attempt to hitch a ride on the momentum behind women’s sport, AFLW season nine will be one of experimentation under new leadership as much as reaching for lofty growth targets.

You would have been forgiven for wondering if you had read the fixture properly on its release in late May, with 11 rounds in 10 weeks, and games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday nights, among the changes.

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Emma Moore, the new general manager of AFLW, had the fixture earmarked for tweaking as soon as she started.

“We have to test certain parts of a calendar, a week, timeslots, to see – can we drive demand in those times?” Moore says. “I very much understand there can be some confusion.

“But if we put it in the lens of school holidays, for example, it means that the broadcaster can go from a news slot straight into the game and take those audiences and cross-leverage them.

“If it doesn’t work, I’m actually OK with that. Then we say in a long-term strategy approach, we’ve got the learnings that we need to inform it.”

The AFLW will increase to 12 rounds next year, and could move to 14 by 2027. But to make the latter move, the league first must meet key metrics agreed by the AFL and the AFL Players’ Association: an average attendance of 6,000 fans and 100,000 broadcast viewers per match.

The AFL have noted that these metrics were modelled on what was achieved in season two in 2018. There are now more than twice as many matches each weekend across the 18 clubs, compared to when there were just eight teams. Last season’s averages landed on 2,589 attendees and 54,969 viewers, well short of the numbers needed to extend future seasons.

While these targets are part of the longer-term strategy rather than goals to be hit this season, most of the ongoing frustrations with the fixture still exist. A squeeze on prime timeslots and premium venues will be hard to shift during the AFL men’s finals, but inconveniently scheduled games like the dreaded Friday 5pm start and overlapping AFLW matches that compete for attention remain unnecessary blockers to growth.

To find space for an extra round of matches within the same time frame, each team will play an additional midweek game during a four-week period across the spring school holidays. This will mean shorter breaks, a greater strain on the players and fresh challenges for clubs. New West Coast coach Daisy Pearce has prepared for the tighter schedule by setting pre-season training to mimic the condensed fixture.

While the hope is that midweek games will find a gap in the crowded sports market, clubs are also seeking new ways to promote the AFLW experience and a more family-friendly atmosphere. Sydney have broken new ground in this area and had the best average attendance of more than 4,600 in just their second AFLW season. The club told the Guardian they had focused on local marketing, bringing in gourmet food offerings and microbreweries, as well as taking steps to ensure their home games are a family affair.

Western Bulldogs, who are rebuilding their side under new coach Tamara Hyett, are among the clubs exploring fresh ideas, offering discounted AFLW ticket bundles where the tickets can be used across the season or by a large group at the one game. Their completed re-development of Whitten Oval offers fans the opportunity to return to a heartland venue, which are proving to be another lure to local communities as well as long-term supporters.

“We obviously want people who know football to come and experience W, but we also want to make sure football is something that is accessible and inviting to a broader audience,” Moore says.

On the field, fans and the league alike will be hoping for more competitive balance. The Bulldogs won just one game last year, while GWS and the Eagles only won two of their 10 matches.

Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne have won six of the seven premierships contested, and are expected to be among the leading contenders again. But half of the AFLW captains recently predicted in a poll that North Melbourne, last year’s runner-up to the Lions, would make the grand final again this year.

Moore has high hopes that a shift is coming, driven by the national draft and the fresh talent now much more likely to have played football throughout their youth. This will also be the third season with the full complement of 18 teams.

“We’re going to see teams that have maybe been sitting in the middle rise to the top,” she says.

Geelong came agonisingly close to making their first grand final last year, falling short by four points in a preliminary final against the eventual premiers. St Kilda, Richmond and other clubs that have steadily developed talent and traded well also appear on the up. The fewer matches involving the well-established “big three” that feel like a foregone conclusion, the better the viewing experience for committed and casual fans.

And Moore’s advice for footy fans who have never followed AFLW or walked through the gates for a match?

“Get along to a game,” Moore says. “Experience that atmosphere where it’s like old school, based in a community, close-up action. We’re pretty confident that you’re going to be really happy with what you see.”