If the AFL started AFLW simply to give women the opportunity to play football at a professional level, then that purpose has been achieved. But what if it was about something more?
What if it was also about the AFL indicating to its fan-base that it was passionate about diversity and inclusion, and also demonstrating a commitment to adequate female pathways – for not only players, but also those who wanted to be administrators, coaches or involved more broadly in the physical aspect of preparing a team for game day?
Has that purpose been achieved and if not, are we on track to achieve it?
Season one, I was blown away by the joy which surrounded the competition. It dominated the news and names like Erin Phillips, Daisy Pearce, Amanda Farrugia and Moana Hope became part of the national conversation.
There was momentum surrounding and I was hopeful that this would carry on into season two, particularly after the scenes on AFLW grand final day when Bec Goddard and her team – split across Adelaide and the Northern Territory – held up the trophy for the first time.
AAP Image/Dan Peled
For the most part, the momentum continued – because AFLW helped so many women to fall in love with the game again, while others were brought to the game for the first time.
As a female fan of any male-dominated sport, it’s often hard to explain why you love the game so much – particularly amidst allegations of player misbehaviour, sexism and a perceived lack of opportunity for women.
But in season two, a couple of other things happened which made me question the direction of the competition and how committed the AFLW really was to making systemic change.
The first was the memo leaked, after Round 1, asking coaches to rethink their strategy to produce higher scoring games. The two key areas highlighted were congestion around stoppages and defensive flooding.
Asking coaches to prepare their teams in a certain way was disingenuous, did not allow the game to develop naturally at its own pace, and suggested that the AFL did not think that the competition was entertaining enough to maintain spectator interest.
Interestingly, I saw no such memo sent to coaches in the wake of some low-scoring games in the AFL this year – most notably the Round 1 fixture between the Gold Coast Suns 7.13.55 and North Melbourne 5.9.39, or the Round 6 clash between the Greater Western Sydney Giants 10.17.77 and Brisbane Lions 5.13.43.
But far more concerning was Crows coach Bec Goddard and Fremantle Dockers coach Michelle Cowan both resigning after the season’s conclusion.
This means there are no female coaches in AFLW, which is a telling example of women not being supported to take on professional opportunities in what is still a male-dominated sport.
How astonishing that there is no longer a place for the coach that won a premiership in her first year, and the club’s first premiership coach in 20 years.
Goddard may have been willing to take a pay cut to take a more full-time position, but this was not an option.
What separates Goddard and Cowan is that all the other coaches have roles that allow them to support themselves. For example, Wayne Siekman (Collingwood) is a Next Generation Academy coach at Collingwood. Alan McConnell (GWS) is also the men’s director of coaching.
Unfortunately, particularly in the case of Goddard, her role was solely as AFLW coach and Adelaide conceded that they could not find the funds or another position for Goddard so that she could continue to commit to coaching.
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A well-established path exists for men interested in coaching: play football at a professional level, then move into coaching, starting at the bottom and working their way up. Such a pathway does not yet exist for women and nor will it until women in these roles are appropriately supported.
We now have a competition which is coached entirely by men, and seemingly judged by people other than the women playing suggesting changes to the spectacle to make it more attractive.
This leaves a sour taste in my mouth about the role AFLW has in the wider AFL family and the direction it’s being taken.
The NRL starts its women’s competition later this year with four teams – the Brisbane Broncos, New Zealand Warriors, St George Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters.
My great hope is that women’s competitions do not look at other women’s competitions as competitors. Each sport can learn from the successes and the failures of the others, and we can get better together.
I urge the NRL to closely look at the AFLW and think about what has worked and what has not.
I have every confidence the rules will remain the same. I’ve watched plenty of women’s rugby league and I am sure that the product will be exciting, entertaining and compelling. There will be no need for a memo from above to coaches, telling them how to run plays because of concerns about the ‘low scoring nature’ of the game.
The slogan of the competition is ‘same game, our way’. I’m hoping that particular emphasis is placed on the ‘same game’ part of that phrase.
But the advice I would give to the NRL would be to not create a competition which limits the ability of women to get involved in ways other than playing. Already, the Warriors have announced former Kiwi Ferns captain Luisa Avaiki as coach for the inaugural season. This is a good start.
The Women’s National Rugby League competition must make sure that women are given not only the opportunity to play, but to participate in other ways as well.
Train without a station
Guest
But is that partially because of the commitment required to get there would prevent them from building a lucrative career alternative?
Basil (the original)
Guest
Nice points but better punctuation would make your points more understandable.
Chris
Guest
Mary, without sounding chauvanist, we have just reduced our medal earning capacity as a nation. Proven it has been time and time again that Australian women are some of the best sportswomen in the world. Now, having them indulge in the pleasanties of Aussie Rules has just taken away a huge chunk of our Olympic athletic prowess. Not that wise a decision I dare say..So much for equality for the sake of equality.
BrainsTrust
Guest
The AFL have hardly pumped any money into the AFLW, the spend has been modest. They don;t play many games to save costs the total wage for the team is less than the average for one player in the AFL. AFL earns its money off the Southern States, then it pours the money into the North East. A subsidy that has been going for many years. The women are a political necessity, without them then governments will shut off all the government funding that goes to the AFL. So the 1.5 billion stadium in Perth, which AFL did not contribute a cent too. Now all the money from whatever modest rent was being charged will be channeled into the mens AFL in that state. A 1.5 billion dollar property should be charging about 5% of that in rent per year. So the rent for the Perth stadium should be 75 million a year.Split that per event of which there will be about 32 a year and it should be 2. millon an occasion. Thats a 44 million a year freebie for the AFL more than the cost of the AFLW. That would not have been remotely possible without the AFLW.
Aligee
Guest
Well, i have given you some examples of where women's football helps, you haven't given me any where it doesn't, just a blanket statement. There is a league called AFLNW which includes teams from Moree, Tamworth, Gunnedah etc , it has 7 mens teams, this year they have a four team women's league to compliment it. It is a tiny little league out in the country, how is adding 50 % + more teams and players not adding to country football, not giving it a big push and lifeline at the same time. Socials are bigger, fundraising bigger, more admin and volunteers, more community involvement because of more women's involvement. How exactly is that a negative. i want you to exactly spell it out ??.
JT
Guest
I found this a little sexist towards males the right person for the job should get the job for example peggy oneill at richmond I love aussie rules and all forms of it but it took the AFL,VFL, WAFL, SANFL and many other leaugues over century to get AFL where it is today. Unfortunetly pay differences between womens football and mens probably wont change until the quality of skills, attendances and more sponsors jump on board AFLW so as an employer for example due to the budget reasons like adelaide probably can not afford to relocate someone from canberra to adelaide and pay them full time salary for a job that is possibly 6 months of the year thats just silly business development i think AFLW compares itself to AFL too much when actual fact its more like a VFL,SANFL, WAFL the players and coaches still have day jobs its just people doing what they love in some cases players are playing for free on some weekends just to help the club out. Male or female everyone can now enjoy this beautiful game i think articles like this serverly damage the fabric that made the game its ment to be enjoyed by everyone not a battle ground to push equality. This would be a great article in 100 years time when AFLW has earnt its merrits and will have had enough women through the system to be filling these rolls. I think its fair to point out that its males that are giving AFLW ago i turn to my partner who loves AFL but when we watch ALFW she refuses to watch it so i think its was smart the AFL got involved and demanded the way they play because it wasnt selling to all the audiences they wanted it to be sold to. Loved everyones comments on the matter but the obvious still stands out picking the right person for the job!
Jason K
Guest
I do wish the author at least pointed out some women who are in the pipeline to become AFLW or even AFL coaches. Additionally, the real first wave of women coaches will likely come after today's AFLW players begin to retire. Although the number of women coaches is far out of balance, the future holds some promise and is not all gloom on this front. I think through AFLW, women will become better integrated throughout the sport (coaching, administrative, etc.) on both the men's and women's sides.
Yoshi
Guest
I wouldn't normaly agree with you I ate pies, but well done here. Everybody seems to have an illogical pet cause these days. But every so often, an undeniable grain of truth shines through :) .
Lroy
Guest
Good call!!
GJ
Guest
Interestingly I notice you didn't address the other, possibly more important point I made. That being the rumours are true and the club made no effort to find any sort of full time role for her based on the premise a number of senior players would've left had she remained in the role.
Basil (the original)
Guest
Standing ovation.
Chris
Guest
I think its great and my daughter loves it. How ever the moment we say woman should be coaching is saying men may be better but the postion is only open to woman. I want my daughter who is now training to be a netball umpire that she gets the job bevause she was the best PERSON for the job. Not the best WOMAN
I ate pies
Guest
Grab the ball kick....short.
I ate pies
Guest
There are plenty of people who have the skills to be a coach and understand footy that if most other coaches were in the same boat, they’d be fine"..." Are you suggesting communism in the AFL? As long as everyone else is as crap as me we're alright! That'll get the punters through the gates! I do like your suggestion that experienced coaches do all the hard work (men) and the women coaches (women) get all the plaudits. Your blind white knightedness is actually a hindrance to the plight of women (who don't actually need a leg up anyway).
I ate pies
Guest
Aligee, if you believe that women's footy will have country footy then you really have no idea about the cost structures of country footy and you have no idea about how the AFL operates. It's unfortunate that you people are so willing to believe what you're told if you think you'll get the outcome you want, because it makes it very easy for the people who are manipulating you. In short, women's footy won't save country footy and it won't save the AFL. It will have the absolute opposite effect.
User
Roar Rookie
Another flaw is it would then become or viewed as a token position not something that a women has earnt on her merits. Women have been fighting to dispel that assumption for a long time.
User
Roar Rookie
Dalgetty as the aflw is aligned to afl clubs said clubs would seek out best qualified to ultimately protect their brand. A blanket approach would never be signed off on by the licence holders as it would be restrictive.
Blue
Guest
It'd be polite to acknowledge that this piece is a copy of last week's column by Kate O'Halloran in the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/25/aflw-is-at-risk-of-being-run-by-men-for-men-where-are-the-female-coaches Kate is a pretty terrible writer, but still immoral to refuse to cite her.
Aligee
Guest
Female coaches will come, just a matter of time, but IMO it doesn't really worry me, i would hope the best candidate would get the job. Just a couple of facts about women's football. * first year of womens footy in the amateurs in Perth WAAFL and 19 new womens teams - last year none. * 56 womens teams now in amateurs in VAFA - a couple of years ago - none * 20 womens teams in NFL ( northern suburbs of Melbourne) a couple of years ago - none * 35 womens teams in SE QLD - a couple of years ago -around 10 * womens teams in places such as Ballina, Lismore, Byron Day etc et - a couple of years ago - none, they compliment and strengthen what originally were just mens clubs. This has been replicated all around Australia and and even bigger increase in girls football. Naturally female coaches and administrators will follow.
Aligee
Guest
Its far more than a few fans Ben. Its a stack more players, a stack more volunteers, a stack more political clout at local, state and federal level for facilities because of increased participation at both male and female level, its a godsend for struggling country clubs that now have different revenue streams. It actually shores up the game at many many levels, whatever the AFL have spent, i reckon they will get more back.