Expect debate to rage around the strengths and weaknesses of AFLW by a supporter base essentially split into two camps.
There are those with an expectation based on their AFL experience and those with a more liberal view tempered by the challenges and obstacles faced by the AFLW in its first couple of years. Comparing the views of both camps can best be described as expectation versus reality.
I’ve watched a considerable number of AFLW games in couch-potato mode, and while I admire and applaud the spirit and tenacity of the participants, it hasn’t been able to captivate me from go to whoa. It just isn’t that good yet. I am willing to cop a whack for not attending a live game – I appreciate that you can’t replicate the atmosphere in your lounge room, but I’ll wear that.
The AFLW continues to have an air of incompleteness. This is seemingly borne of haste even though its gestation period commenced in 2010 on the back of an AFL-commissioned report that culminated in the creation of the competition in 2017. The AFL’s efforts supporting and promoting the competition have been commendable, but the planning around the establishment of the competition remains a bit of a head-scratcher.
The AFL has knowingly created a compromised competition that won’t be settled until at least 2021. This graduated approach has arguably rendered the first two seasons and possibly the third season as somewhat of a series of non-events.
Did the AFL really need to create an AFLW that is or will be a mirror image of the AFL? I don’t think it did, but I can understand the logic behind its decision. The competition lacks an identity of its own, and try as I might, I can’t see AFLW being viewed as anything more than a subordinate competition of the AFL for some time.
The skills, composure and fitness of the players in the first two seasons were obvious deficiencies. As a national competition it’s clearly got a fair way to go. The task of sourcing enough skilled players to feed into an 18-team tournament was always going to be problematic and is proving to be the kicker as the AFLW progresses to being a full competition. The surging participation rates for AFLW will hopefully be the panacea for these deficiencies, but time will tell.
While I’m on a roll I’ll give a clip to the so-called ‘experts’ who are paid to commentate and write about AFL. These experts are deer in the headlights when it comes to AFLW. Most of them are afraid to provide fearless commentary about the competition for fear of reprisal. These experts are happy to lambast any AFL team, player or coach if they aren’t up to scratch, but their silence around the deficiencies of AFLW is deafening.
AFLW should be supported and encouraged, but it shouldn’t be immune to honest criticism given the amount of money the AFL is investing in the competition.
Like it or not, as the AFLW evolves it will be compared to and measured against the AFL, and while this is going to be a ball and chain in its formative years, it should serve as a catalyst for improvement in the long term.
So expect to see more of what you experienced in 2017 and 2018, hope for measured improvement in 2019 and accept that AFLW is still very much a work in progress.
Angela
Guest
The 'playing in heat' aspect is interesting and true. I'd like to see how the women go playing in May, June, July.
Darren
Guest
I’ve got no axe to grind...hilarious
IAP
Guest
Maybe the women could grow their game organically and as an amateur competition for 130 years, like the men did, instead of wanting to truncate the first 130 years and expecting men to pay for it. No one has stopped women from creating their own competitions. After all, they’re as capable as men, so they should be able to do it.
IAP
Guest
Except for tennis...
Raimond
Roar Guru
I think AFLW is a long-term project; it's just too early to tell how the competition will fare in the future. I'm not convinced that playing AFLW as a pre-season competition is a good idea. My recommendation would be playing midweek during the men's season.
The Joy Of X
Roar Rookie
@ Mike As ALL AFLW games will be telecast this year for the first time, the aggregate ratings will certainly be far higher. I also expect the average ratings per game will increase. The AFLW is only 2 years old-and its skill standards, according to the experts, are increasing; and because is getting more crucial TV exposure, it will attract more viewers. And, of course, female Australian Football player numbers are booming. I note you have failed to respond to the other questions I put to you (re the AFLW's impact on other sports, its likely massive growth when the other powerhouse Clubs are introduced etc.). The AFLW is a juggernaut, and you are unable to challenge the issues I put to you- why?
Timmuh
Roar Guru
AFLX is not suited to anyone, or anything except the most convenient scrapheap.
Mike
Guest
So none even close last year. The trend is massively down. That doesn't bode well for this season.
User
Roar Rookie
Very true, the state leagues would kill for those numbers.
Cat
Roar Guru
NBA season runs Oct–Apr College basketball runs Nov–Mar WNBA season runs May–Sept No overlap with WNBA. College sports and professional sports never work hand in hand. NFL for example is barred from playing on a Saturday during college football season to give College football clear air (part of an anti-trust settlement). Mixing of paid athletes with unpaid student athletes would also be a disaster.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
And at the end of the day, whether people believe the attendance figures or not, more people turn up to watch womens footy than any other womens sport. That's the only thing that really matters.
The Joy Of X
Roar Rookie
@ Cat Thanks for the information. Are all WNBA games completely stand alone? (ie not played as double-headers with the NBA; and/or the very prestigeous/high profile College basketball -male or female).
Rick
Guest
Hi X My view on the integrity of crowd figures quoted for the "secondary" game on the back of the "premier" event is that they would not be credible. To draw any comparison it would have to be same with same, likewise free or token entry while providing a statistic does not provide enough long term results to provide credibility yet. You did say that there should only be a comparison of skills between women and men until after 10 or 20 years and if they are only full time professionals and I'm assuming if they are paid exactly the same. However you are willing to hold up a couple of seasons (basically free entry) numbers as compete evidence, seriously all power to the women and the AFLW but let's keep it in perspective.
Cat
Roar Guru
"This is, possibly, a world record average for a female, stand alone home and away seasonal competition-non international." The WNBA averaged 7,713 per game in 2017 (17 games per team, 204 games total)
The Joy Of X
Roar Rookie
@ Mike The 2018 AFLW GF was played during the day on a Saturday ie not prime time, so ratings are always lower- far fewer TV's turned on. Examples I can remember are the 2017 AFLW opening, prime time (and no concurrent AFL games/ no introduction of AFLX in 2017 during the AFLW season. During the 2018 AFLW season, AFLX was introduced- this loss of "clear media air" hurt the ratings (but not attendances of the AFLW). Another example is the female Melbourne v. Western Bulldogs match in September 2016 (AFL had its pre-Finals bye). Earlier in 2016, a female Melbourne v. Western Bulldogs game (not concurrent with any AFL game) OUTRATED an AFL game the same weekend. How much bigger do you think the AFLW will become when powerhouses West Coast, Richmond, Essendon, Hawthorn, Geelong (who will have a team in 2019), and Sydney have AFLW teams? Why do you think the average AFLW ratings are smashing the A League's ratings? What is your estimate of the AFLW opening match ratings Geelong v.Collingwood? And the crowd at Kardinia park? (Hint: its going to be a very big crowd for women's sport) It is extraordinary that the AFLW , a new, competition and with women having elite training and facilities for the first time, are attracting average crowds of about 6,500 per match? This is, possibly, a world record average for a female, stand alone home and away seasonal competition-non international. Do you agree? Why, in late 2016 and 2017, for their elite female athletes, did Aust. Super Netball, cricket, soccer, and basketball grant very large pay rises?
User
Roar Rookie
All this chit chat about attendances being wrong or needing ticketing system to count numbers is odd, I'm certain the gate has people counting heads like they do at local leagues....common sense I'd have thought.
Mike
Guest
I'm not sure about your claim of a few games getting TV ratings 'of about 1M'. The GF only got just over 200k. And the bloke on footy industry has said FTA avg was 90k and Fox avg 44k over the season. FTA was down a massive 65% and Fox -35% on 2017 figures. Happy to be corrected if you can show which games rated 1M over the season.
The Joy Of X
Roar Rookie
@ Rick and your comment on AFLW crowds "don't confuse (AFLW) entrance statistics with other codes that charge". What are your views on the accuracy and integrity of female sports' crowd figures when they are played (directly before or after) a bigger, professional men's game at the same venue? (Eg A W League match played before an A League match. The A League match might have 8,000 in attendance who arrived just before the start of the A League match; the earlier W League match might have had 900 in attendance at half time- but the W League match is credited with 8,000!)
Rick
Guest
Haha, if you don't give two flying farts whether figures are accurate, then why comment? But look based on your rant of the credibility of figures, that allows me to have the opinion that in this case they aren't credible. And if your long story short comes to comparing attendance figures is futile then why make your original comment? Hopefully your mum made you a hot milk and put you to bed before you got too upset.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Another article written by a man comparing women's sport to men's sport and surprise surprise finding it unfavourable. Yawn Clearly you are not the target audience and if you don't like it, don't watch it. I don't watch it either, but I understand why it is being played and fully support it being played. The men get paid over $180 million a year to pay. The women get paid less than $5 million a year to play. Understand that the AFL spending it's own money to fund a women's competition is a vital and necessary component of the code to ensure it's survival and relevance into the future If the AFL was not spending a pittance of what it makes to give women the opportunity to play the game professionally for a brief window of opportunity, this code would be getting crucified. It is never, ever going away. Maybe, the women should be allowed to grow and develop their own code much as the men have had the opportunity to do for something like 130 years now