AFLW gamers have struck an settlement with the AFL to play a 10-round common season in 2023 as their push continues for an prolonged competitors in future years.
The AFL confirmed on Monday the eighth season of its girls’s competitors will start on September 1, with 4 weeks of finals culminating in a December grand remaining.
The settlement leaves the AFLW season shorter than premier girls’s competitions in some rival codes, together with soccer’s A-League Women, which is increasing to a 22-round home-and-away mannequin, plus finals, subsequent season.
AFLW gamers have been pushing for an everyday season of no less than 12 rounds and stay hopeful of eventual enlargement to 17 rounds to permit all 18 groups to play every of their rivals as soon as.
The most just lately accomplished AFLW season was held between late August and the top of November in 2022 and was additionally performed over 10 common rounds and featured 4 weeks of finals.
Players are additionally searching for a transfer in direction of full-time contracts in ongoing negotiations over a brand new collective bargaining settlement (CBA) with the AFL.
But the ladies’s competitors is going through a worrying dip in tv rankings and attendances, and the league is just keen to decide to “sustainable growth” past this yr.
“Our aim now is to make 2023 the best season yet, while we collaborate on the sustainable growth of the competition, both in number of games, attendances and overall engagement,” AFL chief government Gillon McLachlan mentioned in an announcement.
“The AFL is incredibly proud of the growth in women’s football in the past seven years and remain committed to growing the competition in a sustainable way as we continue to invest heavily in driving attendance and viewership this season.”
Television rankings are reportedly down 70 per cent on the inaugural AFLW season in 2017, whereas attendances have additionally fallen 60 per cent because the competitors’s enlargement to 18 groups final yr.
AFL Players Association boss Paul Marsh mentioned the gamers’ settlement on a 10-round common season fashioned a part of the continued CBA negotiations with the AFL.
“(The agreement) comes with a commitment from the AFL for growth in AFLW games from 2024 and beyond,” Marsh mentioned in an announcement.
“Players believe the release of the fixture will provide fans and clubs with the certainty needed to deliver a successful and exciting 2023 season of AFLW.
“The CBA negotiations between the AFLPA and AFL stay ongoing. Progress has been made in current weeks, nonetheless there may be nonetheless a lot work to be finished earlier than a proposed deal may be thought-about by gamers.”
Reigning premiers Melbourne will open the eighth AFLW season when they take on Collingwood at Ikon Park on September 1.
The schedule has been confirmed for the primary 9 rounds of the competitors, with spherical 10 left floating to permit flexibility main into the finals.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
