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The players going to play, and the haters going to hate. But the AFL Women’s league shook off all the knockers and doubters with an opening weekend that surpassed even the most optimistic hopes.
“No-one will ever be interested in women’s’ footy”. “No-one will ever watch girls play a boys’ game”.
But as evening came on Friday evening and the masses descended on Princes Park, statements like these were blown out of the water.
It was built, and so many came that they had to lock the gates. Then more healthy crowds at Thebarton, Western Oval and under thundery skies at Casey Fields.
It was a league intended for humble beginnings. Just eight teams, only seven rounds. Players on just $5,000 a season, subsequently revised to $8,500. Free admission.
But suddenly, we realise this is bigger than any of us could have imagined.
Of course there are nay-sayers.
There’s the chauvinists. “Women shouldn’t be playing footy, that’s a man’s game” they say.
Well sorry if these women aren’t in the kitchen. But they seem to enjoy playing footy. And 50,000 people at grounds and massive numbers on TV enjoy watching them.
There’s the standardists. “These girls couldn’t beat an under 14 C grade team” they say.
These players were amateurs two months ago. They’ve only had a short pre-season.
Even now, they’re juggling jobs with training in the evening. They’re not full-time like their male counterparts.
But, for the first time, they have access to the facilities, resources and personnel of the full-time professional AFL clubs. The rehab rooms, the analysis to the nth degree.
And with that behind them, you can expect the standard to improve rapidly.
Then there’s the goal-watchers. “Four goals to one, that’s not good footy” they say.
Only five goals in a game makes it no good according to these. How does football survive?
There’s more to footy than just goals. The defence has been top-notch, the tackling intense.
And have a look at the record books, look at the scores in the early years of the VFL. The scores in the early days of that league are not dis-similar to the scores in the early days of AFLW.
It’s taken 120 years for the VFL of then to evolve to the AFL of today. AFLW is just starting out, 120 years behind.
And don’t forget that they’re only playing 15 minute quarters, with time on only after goals.
While a typical AFL men’s quarter goes about 32 minutes, twice as long. So only half the time to score.
Finally there’s the code warriors. “AFLW will entice players away from other sports where they could represent Australia” they say.
At this stage, that looks unlikely. There’s no shortage of AFLW players who have a background in other sports.
For many years, although girls could play under-12s and there were adult comps, for the years in between there were few options. And so girls who wanted to play footy but couldn’t found themselves drifting to other sports.
AFLW has given them an opportunity to return.
The money in AFLW isn’t enough to entice players to abandon their other sports. So there are plenty of players juggling footy with another sport. But if the money improves and the AFLW season lengthens, could it force them to give their other sport away?
No-one’s holding a gun to the head of these players to force them to play footy. It’s their choice, freely made. And made with the full knowledge they will never represent Australia in footy.
It’s a choice, an option. And if other sports are worried they’ll lose players to AFLW, it’s up to the other sports to lift their game and make themselves more attractive than AFLW.
Well, the nay-sayers may have their opinion. But I can have mine.
Mine says that the AFLW league is great. Women have just as much right and deserve just as much opportunity to play our game at the elite level.
Mine says that the uncompromising intensity that these women put into their game is great to watch. And any shortfall in the standard will in time be narrowed; and in the meantime there’s still an entertaining contest to be had.
Women have long supported our game. I think it’s great they now get a chance to play.
Women have long supported the men, and this man will happily support the women.
It’s not perfect. But it’s pretty good. Better than any of us could have expected.
There’s plenty to learn, and things we’ll see as they unfold.
In the AFLW, there are players who have always played footy. Park players with the skills, for whom this is their first experience of professionalism.
Then there are players with a background at the elite level in other sports; familiar with a professional sporting environment but not a background in the game and not up to speed on the skills.
Which group will rise to be the dominant force? It’ll be fascinating to find out. And there could be lessons to learn from that which apply to men’s footy and even to other sports.
With a new league, there are teething issues and things that can be learned along the way. And one that could do with a quick re-adjustment is the allocation of free-to-air TV games.
It’s a shame that the Brisbane Lions’ magnificent win wasn’t shown on free-to-air in Brisbane.
Two games were shown on free-to-air in the Sunshine State, but that wasn’t one of them.
Meanwhile, the Adelaide v GWS Giants game was inexplicably shown live on free-to-air in Adelaide but not in Sydney.
Surely the free-to-air games should be swapped to allow the local team’s games to always be shown in Sydney and Brisbane. That happens during the regular AFL season, and it would make sense to do so in the AFLW as well.
It’s been a great opening to the AFLW league. And there’s plenty more to come.
The knockers and nay-sayers can wallow in their own salt. I’m going to enjoy this women’s footy through February and March, and in seasons to come.
And there’s plenty of fans, both at the ground and on telly, who will join me.
Women’s footy is here to stay. Embrace it!
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