The third season of AFL Women’s begun at the weekend with two epic one-point encounters on the first night.
Geelong, the new girls on the block, came from behind to beat Collingwood, after which reigning premiers Western Bulldogs usurped Adelaide in two great games of football.
Scrolling through my Facebook feed, I went to comment about how great the games were, yet the comments left by other people, particularly by men, were absolutely disgusting.
There appear to be some men who will not accept the fact that there are females in sport and or a women’s AFL competition. This is quite a disturbing situation and something that needs to change.
You can’t blame the AFL, you can’t blame the broadcasters and you can’t blame the clubs or the players. The people we should be blaming are those who will not accept female football. Most of them see only the score and most likely don’t even watch the game or know the back story.
Yes, these opening two matches were low scoring, but we cannot expect the standard to mirror that of the men’s AFL competition. I didn’t expect a 20 tot 25-goal game like others seem to have expected, because I kept my expectations realistic.
I didn’t go for any of the teams this round – my team comes in next year – but I was still nervous watching the matches. I was on the edge of my seat for the exciting finishes to both matches. The girls still show determination and pride to be playing an AFLW match. That is what I like seeing from players – playing the game for the love of the sport, not for the money or the fame.
The male league has been around for over a century, while AFL clubs only really started investing in female football in 2013, when the first AFL female exhibition match was held between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. The standard of women’s football has risen dramatically since then and is continuing to rise.
The girls coming through the draft are going to make the game stronger in the future, and the girls coming up through the grassroots have grown up seeing females play the game and have had access to elite coaching in junior representative programs, including the TAC Cup Girls, which commenced last season.
The majority of girls on AFLW lists are required to work on top of their AFLW commitments to pay the bills. Unlike the men, they are not at the footy club all year full-time. They will go to the club for a few training sessions a week then return to their everyday life.
Some players have been playing the game for only a few years or have returned after a decade away because they weren’t given the chance to play simply because they’re women. They are ordinary people who work their hardest to provide opportunities for the next generation of AFLW superstars.
The AFLW has expanded this year with two new teams. That means that AFLW will take a slight backwards step with the talent pool being diluted, but this also means more female footballers are being given the chance to play and improve their game with the aid of professional coaches and facilities at AFL clubs.
As it stands, Essendon, Gold Coast, Hawthorn, Richmond, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Sydney and West Coast don’t yet have a women’s team to support this season, but the Suns, Tigers, Saints and Eagles will all get a team next year, and although the quality may reduce for a year or two, it will mean members and supporters of these clubs will have greater interest in the league.
People need to respect the way the AFL is going about the AFLW and give these girls a chance. After all, they’re paving the way for the future of women in football.
anon
Roar Pro
When Carlton, St Kilda or the Suns inevitably put up a putrid, embarrassing effort, I wonder if anyone will just say “If you don’t like it just turn it off”. No. It will be dissected in the media for day, people from the clubs will have to explain themselves, etc.
anon
Roar Pro
It's the bigotry of low expectations isn't it? We can't have a sensible discussion about AFLW without hysterical segments of our population screaming 'SEXIST'.
anon
Roar Pro
Stop using the fallacious argument that men's football had a 150 year head start so don't expect the quality of the women's game to be much better than when the men's game started. They have 150 years of information to work with. They train several times per week as well as throughout the off season (likely train more than a VFL footballer 30 years ago). Their fitness and diet would (should) be far superior to that of a VFL player 30 years ago. This is subjective, and likely my comment will be moderated because people aren't allowed to have opinions, but it's simply not entertaining and the skills on display aren't worthy of a professional sporting league televised nationwide on FTA. Other people might have a lot of time in their lives and like to spend a Sunday afternoon watching AFLW. That's fine. But in my opinion there are big problems with the aesthetics of the game and it's going to hold it back from succeeding. No amount of advertising and hype will change that.
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
The skills are dreadful for an alleged "professional" league. Look at any of the other women's competitions - (real) football, cricket, rugby league. And of course netball, although it's more of a standalone women's sport. The players actually demonstrate very good skills. Plus in the AFL comp, there are way too many teams. They need about 4 tops.
BigBear
Roar Rookie
We had Foxtel streaming the AFLW games all weekend. Can't say I found any of them "edge of my seat" riveting. I actually found it incredibly boring. Frankly I'm getting a little sick of people telling me that I'm somehow being an "ist" of some sort because I don't talk up something I don't enjoy. But then again I don't watch test cricket; car racing, any form of rugby, table tennis, badmington...... anything actually, except AFL..... and even then, usually only my own team. Don't hate AFLW, just not interested in it. Thus am very unlikely to spend any future time or money on it. So, should it stay or should it go? Don't care either way.
IAP
Guest
Why is it ridiculous? Let me clarify; in my experience, from playing many sports, footy is comparatively an easy game. Yeah, it can be tough physically, but skill-wise there's many other sports that are harder than footy.
IAP
Guest
Geez, your level of self-awareness is - non-existent. By the way, what's with the - between each paragraph?
Raimond
Roar Guru
It's ridiculous that you would say that footy was "an easy game." I don't think I've heard that from a footy fan before.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
There's no doubt that the game lacks a works cup. It's the one thing holding the game back.
Strayan
Roar Rookie
Top comment total cracker :)
Cat
Roar Guru
What the ____ is a 'works cup'?
Jonboy
Roar Rookie
Dalgety since your first comment @ 9.16 am yesterday on the Topic of respect of the AFLW you have not mentioned one word in regard to the subject at all. Everyone of your posts is aimed at immature slagging comments. Judging from your post's you appear not to be the slightest bit interested in football.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
There's your avoidance on display again. - Does your "maturity" prevent you from seeing the irony in Aligee calling names while in the very process of decrying the calling of names?
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
So your strategy now is to invent personal slights at which to feign offence and take some sort of justification at avoidance? - Where are these phantom names that I've supposedly called you? What buzzwords are you talking about? Just more gameplaying.
Strayan
Roar Rookie
Nail on head. Aflw needs to be played in a much much smaller ground. Basic. AFL men’s would be such a poor spectacle if the field was 250 metres long.. 5 kicks from post to post. The women can only kick 30 metres so why are we forcing them to play in a oversized field????
IAP
Guest
There's that maturity on display again.
IAP
Guest
I agree. It's akin to call people names and using buzzwords rather than arguing the merits of the point. It's shows a distinct lack of critical thinking.
IAP
Guest
They can't. It's physiological, not sexist. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4456887/
IAP
Guest
Come on Paul; if you're going to throw out the buzzwords at least be man enough to justify your use of them
GWSingapore
Guest
The AFL should be congratulated. Free admission and using boutique grounds gives the matches a local feel, allowing families, some of which might not be able to afford AFL matches, to attend. I watched both Saturday matches on the excellent AFL international streaming service and was thoroughly entertained. A good promotion.