Celebrating all women involved with AFL

On women in footy, my daughter was never interested in football untill my wife did a get to know footy course because my son was playing, my daughter got dragged along, obviously had some fun, met a few of the girls who were running the course and ended up joining West Perth Womens team, i obviously went to quite a few of their games, and there is some very good talent, and womens football can be very entertaining. From what i understand eventually their will be a national league of sorts.

Train lines are all good and well, but where can i have a beer before and after the game, thats what is important to me, where are all the pubs around this new stadium ??.

Good article - Personally speaking I introduced my wife who is English to the game many years ago- She absolutely loves it, and is a big fan of the Eagles. Off topic I know but any excuse to post this news-- The WA Govt has let the first contract for the new stadium - The Earthworks Tender for 600,000 which covers the stadium and the new 4 lines railway station.

As a player of many years I acknowledge the role women played in the game and supporting the clubs I played for. Raffles, cake stalls, fussing over an injury, running a hot bath and occasionally belting a belligerent, insulting opposition spectator over the head with their umbrella!! Yes, it's true! Later the wife became a mother and the whole support your footballer took on a new persona - running the kid to training, berating the coach for not giving her son more playtime, consoling sons after missed goals and game losses, running that hot bath (again), cake stalls, raffles and pie nights. To be quite honest I don't think junior football or small suburban clubs would survive without the support of women!! (Errr...did I just really say that??!!) Based on the amount of women I have seen at AFL games I am of the opinion that these clubs would not survive either without the support of the women. Amen...I mean Awomen.

Obviously never been to a MV game? Plenty of women at the Sokkah Anthony, and lots of kids, but nevertheless return your head to the sand and continue on....

Appease the women hell - appease the insurance underwriters who are watching the news on long-term effects of concussions and repeated head impacts from the NFL with one eye and the AFLPA with the other eye, very nervously.

I don't mind the bump, the shepherd, the tackle, or the contested mark. Just don't hit the head, I think it's pretty simple. As for this being an AFL directive to appease the 'female' following, I'd hazard a guess that it has more to do with the long term effect of head high collision injuries, which they should rightly be concerned about.

Do you applaud the AFL for moving to ban all undue physical contact? They are clearly trying to entice the women and mothers by removing any aspect of violence from the game. Not sure if that is the best stance to be taken but we will see.

Thanks Anthony.

"I’d be happy to see an all-women’s AFL league commence in the next few years which would only boost the status of the fairer sex further." It's a project at the moment. There are state level leagues but a national concept is brewing, albeit a bit slowly. State vs state carnivals are happening though.

You deserve a medal for following St Kilda but think of the children.

Home ends/active groups, like the Shed or Cove or what have you, are largely male (although I still have fond memories of the telecast of that Wellington v Sydney elimination final) but the general crowd is pretty well spread. The active group make-up I blame on cultural mores that castigate women for carrying on like yobbos but affectionately tolerates it in men, crossed with the fact that being amongst that man partially inebriated and highly emotional supporters can be a frightening mix to someone much smaller who hasn't been initiated into such things. But the length and breadth of the ground the gender balance is more normal. Australia has the advantage over some countries in that sports fandom is seen as fit and proper pursuit for a woman as well as a man and they have plenty of role models in this (your classic footy grannies that can be found in any AFL crowd for one).

AR, I'd say the ratio of women going to see Rugby in NZ is quite high, although nowhere near AFL levels and Kasy could have a point about Soccer in Australia.

In my experiences, football in the UK is still predominantly a guys day out, but the situation here is much more diverse. Any Adelaide United game you care to attend, the stadium has a wide cross section of families and children in the stands. Which begs the question, is it unique to this country that we attend sport as a family group? Rather than your little self-feel good yoink and dig at other sports of being unique to "the great Australian game"

I love going to the footy with my wife. The ratio of women attending AFL matches is about 48%...an impressive figure and apparently the highest in the world (though I'll be happily corrected). By contrast, the Premier League has a ratio of 10-15% (depending on the club).

Classy.

Nice piece Keldab - short and sweet but says it all

Being an outsider, I must admit that I do enjoy the AFL and it feels great that women are given their due here in a male-dominated society. I'd be happy to see an all-women's AFL league commence in the next few years which would only boost the status of the fairer sex further. Thanks.

No fat chicks tho, apparently.

Nice article, Jeldab. You are one of thousands! I am a male who goes to the footy with women - some of whom are highly regarded in their professions. But on game day.,,,,,,,watch out. I am always amazed at the large number of women, & noticeably teenagers, at AFL matches. By contrast, when I look at NRL or soccer on TV the crowd is dominantly male. Another feather in the cap for our great Aussie game.