AFLW Season 2025 start date
- Thread starter pattymalone00
- Start date
- Tagged users None
____
.
- Sep 1, 2009
- 7,563
- 9,054
- AFL Club
- Brisbane Lions
- Other Teams
- Everton, Brisbane Bullets, Thai Port FC
That's really disappointing that the finals will still be played in November and the Grand Final still won't be played at proper grounds.
This Saturday will be close to 35 degrees in Melbourne for the prelim, and a normal November day is around 30 degrees in Brisbane when it's not raining. Not to mention that grounds like MCG, Adelaide Oval, the Gabba etc. can't be used for the Grand Final because of cricket, you know an actual summer sport.
If North somehow choke, AFL will have serious egg on their face knowing full well that a Gabba GF would get a full house (especially against Port) and a showdown GF would not only sell out, but be sold out in hours if even that.
This Saturday will be close to 35 degrees in Melbourne for the prelim, and a normal November day is around 30 degrees in Brisbane when it's not raining. Not to mention that grounds like MCG, Adelaide Oval, the Gabba etc. can't be used for the Grand Final because of cricket, you know an actual summer sport.
If North somehow choke, AFL will have serious egg on their face knowing full well that a Gabba GF would get a full house (especially against Port) and a showdown GF would not only sell out, but be sold out in hours if even that.
Oh look, I was laughed at last year when I said the players wanted an earlier start, and a similar finish.
Look what's happening...
Look what's happening...
It should be pushed forward by a month
Friday 11th July season starts - during school holidays
25th-28 Sep - make this the final round of the season during AFLM GF weekend then follow on with four weeks of Finals with the GF last weekend of October.
AFLW and WBBL GF same weekend doesn’t work. Has anyone thought that maybe this is impacting crowds by having WBBL WNBL A League Women and AFLW clash???
Now hopefully they release the fixture by Christmas. It won’t though. Below are fixture release dates and season start dates. Nothing consistent since COVID.
2017 - 9th Dec 2016 (3rd Feb)
2018 - 27th Oct 2017 (2nd Feb)l
2019 - 26th Oct 2018 (2nd Feb)
2020 - 29th Oct 2019 (7th Feb)
2021 - 11th Dec 2020 (29th Jan)
2022 S6 - 2nd Dec 2021 (7th Jan)
2022 S7 - 4th Jul 2022 (24th Aug)
2023 - 17th Jul 2023 (1st Sep)
2024 - 31st May 2024 (30th Aug)
Friday 11th July season starts - during school holidays
25th-28 Sep - make this the final round of the season during AFLM GF weekend then follow on with four weeks of Finals with the GF last weekend of October.
AFLW and WBBL GF same weekend doesn’t work. Has anyone thought that maybe this is impacting crowds by having WBBL WNBL A League Women and AFLW clash???
Now hopefully they release the fixture by Christmas. It won’t though. Below are fixture release dates and season start dates. Nothing consistent since COVID.
2017 - 9th Dec 2016 (3rd Feb)
2018 - 27th Oct 2017 (2nd Feb)l
2019 - 26th Oct 2018 (2nd Feb)
2020 - 29th Oct 2019 (7th Feb)
2021 - 11th Dec 2020 (29th Jan)
2022 S6 - 2nd Dec 2021 (7th Jan)
2022 S7 - 4th Jul 2022 (24th Aug)
2023 - 17th Jul 2023 (1st Sep)
2024 - 31st May 2024 (30th Aug)
Wbbl and a league women barely draw a crowd. You might add an extra 100 people to a crowd by them not clashing
CURVE
Formally DEVO
- Sep 8, 2000
- 20,880
- 23,825
- AFL Club
- North Melbourne
- Other Teams
- Eels, Cumbrians, Staggies & La Viola
The WBBL got over 5500 to the double header a couple of days ago, and the A-League Women's has been getting as many as 4,000 to a few of their matches this season, although they have had a few really disappointing turnouts as well.
The Educator
All Australian
- Jan 23, 2023
- 893
- 888
- AFL Club
- Gold Coast
One offs and men's double headers (which are already heavy inflated) where the W crowd is presumably whoever walked through the turnstile before the final whistle.
The reality is the AFLW is far more crowded out going up against the AFLM than it is against other women's sports.
The stadium issue is the big one though. Agree more broadly with the Victorian though that the best timing is probably last week of October (both for stadium climate and maybe for even for "fatigue") but that will necessarily result in really challenging fixturing and "clean air" issues
Last edited:
CURVE
Formally DEVO
- Sep 8, 2000
- 20,880
- 23,825
- AFL Club
- North Melbourne
- Other Teams
- Eels, Cumbrians, Staggies & La Viola
Of course, the BBL hasn’t started yet so it wasn’t a double header with a men’s game.
As for the ALW, I don't watch the ALM, there isn't a Canberra team so I can't be certain if they are double headers with the men's but I wouldn't think the ALM plays at Leichhardt Oval, it's a shit show that shouldn't host any games but they did get just under 3500 for the Sydney derby.
Last edited:
____
.
- Sep 1, 2009
- 7,563
- 9,054
- AFL Club
- Brisbane Lions
- Other Teams
- Everton, Brisbane Bullets, Thai Port FC
October would be a good time to have the Grand Final, it has clear air away from the men's but also early enough that you could negotiate use of the cricket grounds since international cricket is very rarely played in October.
Also Brisbane/Gold Coast aside a much lower chance of a hot day (although IMO the W grand final should remain at night).
- Oct 12, 2019
- 522
- 378
- AFL Club
- Hawthorn
The AFL have definitely been trying to extend the season until late November for the purposes of clean air.
I agree that a July 2025 start would work better, and then move forward the season start each time the season extends.
I think the AFL will try to have some Wednesday/Thursday/Monday night football during the men's season overlap period to avoid 14-15 men's and women's games being held on Saturdays and Sundays. Hence the non committal talk about midweek fixtures and spin being "rest periods before and after" being the issue highlighted by club feedback.
Why don’t they just play it in footy season?
Because you have 2 options. Have the teams play home alternate weekends, but this only really works for the non Vic states, as Vic teams play a lot of away games in their home state A lot of people that support the womens team also support the mens team, and this would mean 2 games in those weekends, and a lot of people wouldnt have the time. Thats when the fixtures dont clash, which they are likely to from time to time. So, support for the womens team will drop, as some of those choosing between the 2 will choose the mens. And for the AFL, those that choose the womens might be worse, as womens games are much cheaper.
Or, you could play the womens as a pre game to the men's, but this forces the women's fixture to be the same as the men's, otherwise that gets pretty tricky to work out, and it risks reducing the status of the womens game to just being a warm up event for the real game, with few people bothering to come early enough to watch the womens match, for the same, that a commitment of a lot of time.
Dont get me wrong, I think it might work for clubs like Eagles and Crows. When the mens are away, fixture the women at home. I think those clubs still get decent crowds, but again, it requires that you fixture the women, based off the mens fixture, and that gets tricky.
The NRL has announced a big increase in the number of double headers for womens and mens, trying to get crowds to the womens. I suspect this will just be a way to fudge the numbers, as, unless they clear the grounds between games, they aren't going to be able to separate numbers. I also suspect a significant reason in why they need to do this to get numbers is, the same reason, its hard to get fans to commit to 2 games a weekend, and most choose the mens over the womens. With a double header, you can turn up 20 minutes before the mens game starts, watch that, go home, and get counted as an NRLW attendee.
