AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has called for patience with the new women’s league, saying it will need time to develop.
The league was launched on Wednesday morning in Melbourne, with old rivals Carlton and Collingwood to play the first game on Friday.
“I want to be clear – this will be good for business, but, as compelling, it can be explained in two words – equality and aspiration,” McLachlan said.
“It will be football as we’ve always known it … but it will also be very different.
“This group of women players will create their own game.
“I’d like to remind everyone this is year one … I will ask today that we give them time and space to grow into the elite footballers that we know they can be.
“We are here for the long haul … I can guarantee you the AFLW in three years will be vastly different to year one.”
The women’s league premiership cup was unveiled, with Western Bulldogs vice-president Susan Alberti named as its ambassador.
The AFL also announced there would be a best and fairest award for the new league.
The Rising Star, best afield in the grand final and leading goalkicker will also be recognised, plus there will be an All-Australian team after each season.
Penster
Roar Guru
Exactly - new norms. Women weren't traditionally involved with ice hockey, joining the armed services, going into space, voting, careers in science, surfing life saving .................. or AFL. It's nothing new and it's not limited to sport. There simply wasn't the opportunity. If you build it, they will come.
northerner
Guest
Girls weren't interested in playing ice hockey when I was a kid growing up in Canada, because the social norms of the time said it was a boys' game. So girls learned to figure skate instead. These days, they have the opportunity to choose, and many of them choose hockey over figure skating. I don't think it's so much a new phenomenon, as a new opportunity.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Women's Footy is a new TV show, the article was on the Girls play footy website.
Lee Oliver
Guest
Girls Play Footy has been around for four years.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Real Footy (AFL) @agerealfooty 3m3 minutes ago Friday's @theagesport back page. Tomorrow night the @aflwomens competition becomes a reality
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Good to see the DT giving women's footy some prominence: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/teams/collingwood/moana-hope-embraces-hype-of-aflw-opener/news-story/7d6376a038ab8c6e74f564884e7b730c
Mister Football
Roar Guru
One of the many TV and radio shows popping up to cover women's footy: http://girlsplayfooty.com/2017/01/sundays-set-for-womens-footy-tv.html
Mister Football
Roar Guru
I think the 8 captains have picked the dogs as their flag favourite, but others are going for Freo: http://girlsplayfooty.com/2017/02/what-to-make-of-flag-favourite-fremantle.html What I can say about Freo, which is unique amongst all the clubs, is that 100% of their playing list is sourced locally, and they all seem to have a decent football pedigree.
I hate pies
Guest
Girls weren't interested in playing footy when I was a kid (in the 90's); girls wanting to play footy is a new phenomenon.
Penster
Roar Guru
I think you're right. My footy playing daughters and their friends are now officially interested in the game as it's no longer a dead end. And we are very pumped for the season, heading out to as many as we can get to.
Perry Bridge
Guest
It will be interesting to see how the dust settles. The fact that the AFL were effectively forced to move on creating a top level league (by demand) and forced to bring it forward (by demand) and that womens/girls footy has been a big growth area over the last few years shows that the groundswell from grassroots up is giving it the vital foundation for talent pathways etc. However - the big question as always is will people watch? And - this I suspect - many of the girls who have 'converted' had been playing basketball, or netball or whatever simply because there was no pathway for them in footy (the game they loved as kids). Quite likely they would prefer to watch footy than they would the netball or basketball themselves. Just a suspicion.
Real Mister Football
Roar Rookie
I think the league will get very boring very quickly.