AFLW 2024 Fixture

[Teen Wolf]

Why aren't you acknolwedging my previous statement regarding 5:15pm scheduling?

For Suns Vic supporters who would be the main suns supporters attending, Friday 12pm is a public holiday for us. The Wednesday night through isn't...

You did such a good job of pointing out the flaws of a 5.15pm weekday game (obviously because it impacts you) that I didn't think it needed any further comment.

But given you claimed to speak from a "Suns perspective" (with no further categorisation), it seemed odd to omit criticism of the Friday 12pm game. However, now that you've clarified your position--i.e. you're speaking for "Suns Vic supporters" and have no empathy for Suns supporters in QLD--it doesn't seem odd at all.

 

[Walshawk]

AFLW need to kick of the season with an Origin match. A high standard game in a good stadium with a decent crowd will do wonders.

Play it on a Friday night 7pm @ Marvel. You can have a men’s game from Perth follow at 9pm. Start late June at the start of school holidays. Then 18 rounds and finals takes you through to a GF late November.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Yeah I also hate how the season is being opened by the team that had the best crowds last year. So unfair.

Instead, let's force the best players all around the country to fly to Victoria and get beat up in a meaningless exhibition game a week before Round 1. Who could have an issue with that.

 

[Cdog71]

SOO just before the season probably isn’t the best spot for it.
Is a long off season though…got no idea about the practicalities of it but first impressions is it could be a bloody great spectacle and short tournament.

Probably need an extended squad.

 

[banzai]

AFLW need to kick of the season with an Origin match. A high standard game in a good stadium with a decent crowd will do wonders.

Play it on a Friday night 7pm @ Marvel. You can have a men’s game from Perth follow at 9pm. Start late June at the start of school holidays. Then 18 rounds and finals takes you through to a GF late November.

Who would play in an origin game? These Vic v Allies type games surely killed State Of Origin in the first place as they are exhibition games where no one cares. Would just have to be 2 states.

 

[Walshawk]

Who would play in an origin game? These Vic v Allies type games surely killed State Of Origin in the first place as they are exhibition games where no one cares. Would just have to be 2 states.

Vic v All Stars is fine. It is an exhibition, but the standard will be high and watchable. The women always go hard.

 

[Teen Wolf]

More on State of Origin (and why anybody who likes the All-Star concept has nfi) here:

Club CEOs and league interested in return to AFLW State of Origin

From a few days ago: https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/07/19/detailed-insight-into-two-day-afl-ceos-meeting/ The prospect of representative football – such as a State of Origin competition – did not garner much support. However, a State of Origin AFLW match did have more merit...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Cdog71]

More on State of Origin (and why anybody who likes the All-Star concept has nfi) here:

Club CEOs and league interested in return to AFLW State of Origin

From a few days ago: https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/07/19/detailed-insight-into-two-day-afl-ceos-meeting/ The prospect of representative football – such as a State of Origin competition – did not garner much support. However, a State of Origin AFLW match did have more merit...

www.bigfooty.com

Wonder if viewership from outside of the season proper would be considered in the overall numbers.

I think it should be

 

[Teen Wolf]

Wonder if viewership from outside of the season proper would be considered in the overall numbers.

I think it should be

You mean in regard to the automatic triggers for extending the season? Even the numbers for finals aren't currently counted, just the h&a season.

It would still impact the AFL's own perception of (and therefore investment in) women's football, though.

 

[Cdog71]

Would be a breath of fresh air into the rhythm of the year like the NRL SOO is.

I think it’d be a great way to keep fans linked into the players and another way for players to enjoy their sport.
Might not be their fittest or strongest but playing against players they rate, they’d lift for that you’d think.
Commentators would be talking up players and matchups too. Give more insight get into individuals.

Get it done Teen Wolf !!

 

[petits]

I don't regularly watch NRL but my impression is that it's easier to pull players together on short notice and produce a high-quality game because the gameplay is very simple compared to AFL.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Preseason match fixtures?

 

[TheTassieHawk]

Preseason match fixtures?

I think that 2023 preseason details got announced in late July, hopefully it will be a little earlier this time around.

 

[Teen Wolf]

On the topic of attendances, here's the minimum the AFL will want to start the season:

Syd-Coll 8k
WCE-Rich 5k
GWS-WB 2.5k
Ess-Frem 4k
GC-StK 2.5k
Geel-Melb 5.5k
PA-Adel 8k (or however many can fit)
Haw-Carl 4.5k (or however many can fit)
BL-NM 5k

Adds up to 45k, which would just eclipse last year's R1 tally of 43,375. Sydney's only home crowd above 6k to date was their inaugural game (8,264 vs St Kilda), and West Coast haven't ever cracked 3k outside of a derby. But, weather permitting, both clubs should get a big boost from opening night hype (also new high-profile coach hype in the Eagles' case).

For the whole H&A season, the following would be on the higher end of reasonable expectations, considering the many poor fixturing decisions that have been made:

R1 45k (ave 5,000)
R2 21.5k (2,388)
R3 24k (2,666)
R4 28k (2,545)
R5 26.5k (2,409)
R6 28k (2,333)
R7 28.5k (2,590)
R8 28k (3,111)
R9 24k (2,666)
R10 21.5k (2,388)
H&A 275k (2,777)

Last year was 234,525 (2,605) for the H&A and 51,455 (5,717) for finals, adding up to 285,980 (2,888) in total. A Geelong home grand final is probably the only chance of significantly bumping up the post-season numbers this year, given likely venue (un)availabilities.

Either way, the overall figure should go past 300k comfortably... and that's without relying on double-headers with men's matches, unlike the other football codes in this country.

 

[The Nostradamus]

I think that 2023 preseason details got announced in late July, hopefully it will be a little earlier this time around.

Yeah they like announcing things very late in aflw

 

[Perrip]

Yeah they like announcing things very late in aflw

We got the fixture almost 2 months earlier this year. So hopefully we get pre-season games earlier in 2 weeks or so.

 

[CrowdedHouse]

Syd-Coll 8k
WCE-Rich 5k
GWS-WB 2.5k
Ess-Frem 4k
GC-StK 2.5k
Geel-Melb 5.5k
PA-Adel 8k (or however many can fit)
Haw-Carl 4.5k (or however many can fit)
BL-NM 5k

Spoke with a women's footy umpire over lunch yesterday and we thought these would be the crowd numbers for Round 1 (subject to good weather).

Syd-Coll 6.5k - on par with the Henson Park crowd of last year
WCE-Rich 2k
GWS-WB 1.5k
Ess-Freo 2.5k (no more than 3k as Windy Hill can't hold that many these days)
GC-StK 1.5k
Geel-Melb 3.5k (local footy finals in the region will dampen numbers)
PA-Adel SELL OUT (8k is estimated capacity, but the AFL might make less tickets available for purchase)
Haw-Carl 2k
BL-NMT 2k (Up against Broncos v Cowboys in NRLW, which starts about 80mins earlier)

 

[Teen Wolf]

Spoke with a women's footy umpire over lunch yesterday and we thought these would be the crowd numbers for Round 1 (subject to good weather).

Syd-Coll 6.5k - on par with the Henson Park crowd of last year
WCE-Rich 2k
GWS-WB 1.5k
Ess-Freo 2.5k (no more than 3k as Windy Hill can't hold that many these days)
GC-StK 1.5k
Geel-Melb 3.5k (local footy finals in the region will dampen numbers)
PA-Adel SELL OUT (8k is estimated capacity, but the AFL might make less tickets available for purchase)
Haw-Carl 2k
BL-NMT 2k (Up against Broncos v Cowboys in NRLW, which starts about 80mins earlier)

I guess anything is possible. But here are some facts:

• Manuka Oval last year had 2,028 for a Sunday 5.05pm game--R2 GWS v Melbourne.
• Windy Hill last year had 3,915 for R2 Essendon v St Kilda (misread by some as 3,195 at the time) and 3,812 for R9 Essendon v Carlton.
• Geelong had 4,404 on the same day last year, but it was a twilight game (i.e. closer in time to when local footy finals are generally played).
• Hawthorn in Frankston vs another Vic team hasn't drawn below 2,800 (including a Friday 5.05pm game vs Melbourne).
• The highest attended non-curtain-raising NRLW game in Brisbane last year was 1,811. The Lions' average home crowd was 3,243.

 

[MSB ROYS]

Lions will probably have a premiership celebration event as well (a bit cruel for North), which should increase the numbers.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Lions will probably have a premiership celebration event as well (a bit cruel for North), which should increase the numbers.

That’s fine, we’ll be the ones celebrating post game

 

[Teen Wolf]

Underlining a point I've made on here before, it is not merely "the AFL" lacking a strong desire to treat the women's fixture more like the men's:

"The condensed part of the fixture is really good," Gowans told AFL.com.au.

"I think if you ask any player, they'd rather play than train… so when it was suggested at the coaches meeting, I loved it. I thought it was a great idea."

This is not to say such views are universally held (Mathew Buck, for example, publicly expressed concern about two-in-ones a few weeks ago), but it is nevertheless astounding that any coach behind closed doors wouldn't shout down mid-week games.

 

[Perrip]

I think that 2023 preseason details got announced in late July, hopefully it will be a little earlier this time around.

Just been released, 3 weeks earlier than last year.

 

[AussieNick1999]

AFLW match sims and practice matches below.

Happy for us to be playing Melbourne and Adelaide in the preseason. Carlton have a pretty tough draw with five finalists (and both grand finalists) from last year so that experience is going to be important.

 

[The Rocks]

Why doesn't the AFLW start during the bye rounds. Play the men Thursday, Friday. The women can have a longer season, play finals in October and November and be done by summer?

On SM-A528B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Teen Wolf]

Why doesn't the AFLW start during the bye rounds. Play the men Thursday, Friday.

That'll work for the bye rounds (sorta)... What's going to happen when the men's season goes back to 9 games per round? There are finite broadcasters, venues, club staff, supporters, etc.

The rest of the AFLW H&A season would entirely (rather than the rare instance as is now the case) get pushed to undesirable timeslots like 11am Saturday and Tuesday 5pm, hindering the league's ability to grow revenue and viewership to a degree far greater than just about any other scenario.

Why we don't have AFLW State of Origin during the men's bye rounds, however, remains a mystery to me.

The women can have a longer season, play finals in October and November and be done by summer?

It costs more to have a longer season. The AFL wants more evidence that the league is at a stage where it will recoup x amount of those costs.