AFLW 2025: 12-round, 18-week H&A season?

[Teen Wolf]

Regardless of "the metrics", AFLW expands to 12 H&A games per team next year.

The idea of wanting to open and end the women's season without competing with the men's continues to have, I think, strong merit. So too the idea that AFLW venues in spring are more conducive to attendance than the same venues in winter.

Furthermore, trying to schedule 9 men's and 9 women's games on the same weekend is going to result in even worse timeslots for AFLW, and it'll put a strain on club and league resources too.

But with all that said, the current situation of squeezing in matches cannot, and obviously will not, go on for much longer. The players will eventually shoot it down, as they eventually did to matches in February.


So what is the best fixturing solution?

It might be to do the complete opposite and stretch it out: Start AFLW in the middle of the year and, at least while the men's H&A is still going, have each women's round played over two weekends.

Benefits of this would be:

• Greater recovery time between matches = more star players on the field for longer, fewer missed matches due to concussion and short-term injuries

• Still allows for matches in spring when the men's H&A season is finished

• Decent period of alignment with the state league seasons

• Easier to schedule 13-14 matches per weekend (9 men's + 4-5 women's) than 18, for example...

M1: Thu 7.30pm​

M2: Fri 7.40pm​

W1: Sat 12.05pm​

W2: Sat 12.35pm​

M3: Sat 2.10pm​

M4: Sat 4.50pm​

M5: Sat 7.10pm​

M6: Sat 7.30pm​

W3: Sat 10.05pm (Frem/WCE home game - 8.05pm AWST)​

W4: Sun 12.05pm​

W5: Sun 12.35pm​

M7: Sun 2.10pm​

M8: Sun 3.20pm​

M9: Sun 4.50pm​

This would give the women's games a stable, dedicated window every week at reasonable hours while allowing for enough flexibility to avoid clashes with the men's fixture.

It also leaves the 2pm FTA slot open for state league matches. And starting mid-year would also mean a good amount of men's AFL early arvo matches are retained.

I guess there is potential there to have some AFLW games played as double-headers with men's games (for instance Sunday 12.35pm women --> 3.20pm men), but that would be among the weakest reasons to do this imo.

 

[cmndstab]

So, would you have the first six matches played over twelve weeks, and then the next six matches played weekly, followed by four weeks of finals?

 

[Teen Wolf]

Yeah something like that, though the exact numbers might depend on when the men's midseason and late season byes takes place.

Potentially the split rounds could continue on into the men's finals, and then stop splitting in the proposed week off before the men's GF:

Men's R23 - AFLW R6a
Men's R24 - AFLW R6b
Men's finals wk1 - AFLW R7a
Men's finals wk2 - AFLW R7b
Men's finals wk3 - AFLW bye (state league GFs)
Men's pre-GF bye - AFLW R8
Men's GF - AFLW R9

 

[parano1a]

It's an idea worth considering, but wouldn't bring much exposure to the league if the only FTA game timeslots in the early rounds are 12pm on weekends.

 

[Perrip]

Regardless of "the metrics", AFLW expands to 12 H&A games per team next year.

The idea of wanting to open and end the women's season without competing with the men's continues to have, I think, strong merit. So too the idea that AFLW venues in spring are more conducive to attendance than the same venues in winter.

Furthermore, trying to schedule 9 men's and 9 women's games on the same weekend is going to result in even worse timeslots for AFLW, and it'll put a strain on club and league resources too.

But with all that said, the current situation of squeezing in matches cannot, and obviously will not, go on for much longer. The players will eventually shoot it down, as they eventually did to matches in February.

Interesting article in the Herald Sun today about this discussion.

July floated as possible start time for 2025 AFLW season - Lauren Wood

July has been floated as a potential start date for the 2025 AFL Women’s season, with players being canvassed ona range of fixturing options.
The AFLW season – which currently sits at 11 games in 10 weeks, plus finals – is set to be extended to 12 home-and-away games next year.
The increase means a shift from the current start in the AFL pre-finals bye weekend is considered all but certain, with another round of AFLW games to accommodate.
Communication to players in recent weeks has mooted the possibility of beginning the 2025 pre-season in April and starting the season in either round 18 of the men’s competition – in July – or in round 21 in early August.
It would bring the competition – which players hope will eventually grow to a full 17-game fixture where every team plays once – further back in the calendar and in line with the men’s game and the state league competitions which currently do not overlap with AFLW or give players an opportunity to feature when not selected or returning from injury.
The AFLW is currently amid the condensed portion of the fixture – which sees teams play as many as four games within 14 days with games every day except for Mondays – that was agreed to in the recent collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
It is understood that midweek games are considered a prime option for AFLW next season and beyond, but that such condensed fixturing is not, with the season spread across more weeks far preferred by both clubs and players.
Staffing arrangements are a key hurdle for clubs that make a push into the AFL finals series, with a number of Brisbane Lions staff members booked on an early flight this Sunday morning back to Queensland as the club prepares to host an AFLW home game on Sunday afternoon – less than 24 hours after the men’s team plays in the grand final against Sydney.
Lions coach Craig Starcevich this week suggested that this week’s fixture of AFLW should have been “floating” to accommodate the two clubs that featured in the men’s decider.
Lions AFLW player Belle Dawes backed such a shift on Tuesday.
“I love that idea,” she said. “I think everyone in the club would love that idea. It benefits all of us, whichever team makes it.”
The fixture and its timing remains an ongoing conversation between the AFL, clubs and AFLW players.
The first six seasons of AFLW were played in summer, before a shift to later in the calendar in 2022. Some players have expressed their desire to return to the hotter months to this masthead, though it is currently considered unlikely.
A push from players to headquarters at the start of this season is understood to be a factor in the early scheduling conversations for next year, with a number of captains keen for clarity sooner rather than later after limbo in recent years in the lead-up to the season.

 

[cmndstab]

The midweek fixturing is the way to go for now, I think. Have the men play on the weekends, and the women play Monday-Thursday. Football all week long, clear air for the women, and even allows clubs to spread their various coaching/conditioning teams across both groups without worries about doubling up. Perhaps one or two weekend matches when it makes sense (such as when the men have a Thursday match).

Put them at good times so that families can still attend after school/work. Say 5:30PM - 7:30PM. Two hour matches mean the kids can still get to bed, and you get primetime viewing.

Care would need to be taken to ensure we don't get too many short turnarounds (Thursday match followed by a weekend match) but that's not complicated to manage.

Once the men's season moves into finals and there are fewer matches, the women's games can move more onto the weekends.

 

[Teen Wolf]

5.30pm on weekdays might work in Adelaide--not sure because I haven't been there in ages (do they still have that one-way freeway?). But for any place with traffic, it's an impossible time to attend a game of football.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Simpler idea.
7-8 weeks of double-header games, or lead in at nearby venues (e.g. blues play a 2pm game at Princess Park for the women's, then a night game at docklands)

A few "day later" games where proximity would be a bit of a nightmare (saints at Moorabbin, hawks at frankston)

After the final round of the mens during the bye week, 1 "gather round," with all games at 1 venue over a weekend

Weekly games afterwards

This is the best way to grow the attendance. Media might have issues with it though, especially with c7 already at capacity for broadcast with their various sporting vebtures

 

[Teen Wolf]

Let's be realistic, if they try to squeeze in 18 matches on a typical Thursday-Sunday weekend, this is how they'd do it:



Arrows indicating double-headers... until, of course, AFLW matches are constantly rescheduled at the 11th hour due to fear of damage being done to the precious turf as winter conditions take their toll (not sure that would help attendance much).

 

[The Victorian]

You couldn't start any earlier than 7pm on weeknights. The 5pm games are ridiculous if you want to get to the game after work

 

[Cdog71]

One thing I like about that is it would reduce the negative impact of short term injuries to Tier 1 and 2 players to a clubs opportunity and season.
You’d like to think that all teams have an equal chance for making finals but as an example looking at Geelongs fixture this year and the injuries coming into the condensed rounds a 1-3 week injury to a couple of good players…it has had alot more impact than what it might otherwise.

It’s hard to take the AFL seriously if Luck can have such a big influence on season outcomes in what is supposedly a professional sport.
*full time athletes in 2026.

 

[Liam Boy]

If they're willing to start the season that early they should just schedule a game every weekend for each side. The problem is they don't want to.

 

[jdstorm]

Personally the fixture I would like is a 13
round season and make it more like a World Cup/tournament . Break it into 3 phases

Stage 1 Group phase.

5 rounds 3 pools of 6 teams play each other once. Top 4 progress. Bottom 6 go into a losers bracket to set draft order.

This would be structured as 2x home games per team and 1 “rivalry round” where teams play a local derby that’s rotated every 2 years eg Port vs Crows, Lions vs Suns, Eagles vs Dockers, Swans bs Giants, and Various Melbourne teams by most storied rivalry.


Phase 2
Winners 2x groups of 6 teams play 5 more games each. Top 4 teams from each group make finals

Losers bracket teams play 5 games each to set draft order. Hopefully prevents blowouts with teams being more evenly matched

Phase 2 starts with a “special round” that includes neutral venues for every team. Could be Gather round or Indigenous round or Country round. Just a fun bit of spectacle at neutral venues followed by 2x Home games per team.

Phase 3 finals - single elimination

Rd1
G1 Team 1 group A vs Team 4 Group B
G2 Team 2 group A vs Team 3 Group B
G3 Team 1 Group B vs Team 4 Group A
G4 Team 2 Group B vs Team 3 Group A

Rd2

Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 4
Winner of Game 2 vs Winner Game 3

Grand Final
Two remaining teams

I think this is a really fun way to do a shorter 18 team comp