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Last year, I regularly went to VFLW (Victorian Football League Women’s) games as a friend of mine was playing. For what was then the premier league of women’s football, the contrasts between the playing conditions were extreme.
It felt haphazard, and really it seemed to have little oversight by any governing body. Compared to the VFL itself, it felt like a distant cousin.
But with the success of the AFLW this season, and its planned expansion over the next couple of years, the AFL now seem determined to create pathways for young players.
On the face of it, this is a good thing, but the way they have done it means that some of the history and uniqueness of the competition are going in order for the AFL to have complete control.
Six new teams will enter the VFLW next year, five of them aligned with AFL clubs. This has pushed three major clubs out of the competition – the St Kilda Sharks, Diamond Creek and the Eastern Devils – all of which have a rich history.
Additionally, the licences of Seaford and Cranbourne have been transferred to other clubs. Luckily, both Melbourne Uni and Darebin, the two most successful clubs, have managed to stay in (Although with Melbourne Uni in an alignment with North Melbourne). With many of the teams with new licences also getting AFLW teams over the coming years, there is a risk that the VFLW might become a glorified reserves competition, just like the VFL has become.
This would be a disaster.
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Before the VFLW begun, women’s football was governed by the VWFL (Victorian Women’s Football League) – a competition with a history stretching back to 1981. The creation of the VFLW was a step towards creating a more professional league, which lined up with the VFL season. Part of this included double-heading games with VFL men’s matches, in order to increase exposure of women’s football.
This increased exposure seemed to work. The 2016 VFLW grand final at Piranha Park, in Coburg, was larger than many VFL crowds, and they were treated to a triple-header, with the Division 1 and Premier Division of the VWFL, and VFLW grand finals all held on the one day.
This year, the VFLW grand final was played on the same day as the VFL – which increased exposure for the VFLW, but lessened the exposure and the link to the lower divisions of the women’s game.
All the women’s teams of the VWFL now play in regional competitions linked to the men’s, which has probably increased efficiency, and increased the number of clubs playing, but might have caused an unintended break between the elite and lower levels of the game.
Just as an aside, when the VFLW was created, none of the award names transferred to the new competition. So instead of winning the Helen Lambert Medal for the best and fairest, players simply win the nameless and soulless VFLW Best and Fairest award. While this might sound like a small thing, it shows a break with history, and while a break with the past is sometimes necessary, there usually has to be good reason behind it.
It seems that the AFL wants to take sole credit for growing the women’s game, when the VWFL was responsible for a lot of the growth. By deleting names that went hand-in-hand with women’s football, the AFL has assumed complete control and wiped out its past. This is not a good thing.
Women’s football has an extremely positive future. Participation is up, as are the number of clubs participating. At the elite level, the AFLW looks poised to continue its growth. However, at the level between the elite and the lower leagues, the AFL’s interference has created a situation where the competition risks losing its soul.
Women’s football in Victoria has a rich history, it can’t be simply thrown away. A soulless competition is not good for anyone.
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