Do you enjoy AFLW

[ManOfClay]

is there to provide a space for girl footballers to grow up and grow into.

And this is why despite not enjoying it (truthfully I barely pay attention) I don’t mind it.

If my daughter wanted to play football professionally she has an avenue now should she be good enough.

It has a purpose. It doesn’t need to be liked by all and sundry.

 

[uranium_death]

And this is why despite not enjoying it (truthfully I barely pay attention) I don’t mind it.

If my daughter wanted to play football professionally she has an avenue now should she be good enough.

It has a purpose. It doesn’t need to be liked by all and sundry.

I support the fact it exists
What I don't like is a diluted pool with 95% amateurs demanding more money, and the media pulling the gender-inequity thing when there are perfectly reasonable explanations as to why the league is not about playing for money at all...

 

[Ginnieboy]

That would be misogynistic, sexist and probably something else...

True? Because someone’s paying for it and it certainly isn’t the women or the fans.

 

[ManOfClay]

I support the fact it exists
What I don't like is a diluted pool with 95% amateurs demanding more money, and the media pulling the gender-inequity thing when there are perfectly reasonable explanations as to why the league is not about playing for money at all...

But does all that really affect you?

 

[uranium_death]

But does all that really affect you?

I can't turn around and demand higher pay and use aspects of who I am as a bargaining chip
It comes down to the company being able to afford me, and the quality of work I produce

The AFL can't actually afford the AFLW as it is (it's in the red), let alone pay rises for overweight and/or underskilled women who played some other sport for 18 years, and decided to give the 'elite' league a go for shits and giggles...

I would play footy for free for anybody that would take me, and I can kick and handball better than a lot of AFLW players and I'm almost 40 with a partially-torn patella tendon

Right now, the AFLW is about the contest and the honour of the jumper, as pissy as that sounds. The quality is not there right now for a blanket pay rise
Girls like Erin Phillips and Darcy V from Carlton certainly deserve more as they perform to a higher standard, but they don't sell tickets. Fact is that it's hard to pay people when the incoming funds is minimal to the extreme

There are economic realities at play for us all, but the AFL v AFLW argument can never be a valid one when it comes to payment. Kelli Underwood can go fart in a phonebooth. While I admire her support of the league, it can't be marketed as an elite league just yet. The formative years are always difficult

 

[ManOfClay]

I can't turn around and demand higher pay and use aspects of who I am as a bargaining chip
It comes down to the company being able to afford me, and the quality of work I produce

The AFL can't actually afford the AFLW as it is (it's in the red), let alone pay rises for overweight and/or underskilled women who played some other sport for 18 years, and decided to give the 'elite' league a go for shits and giggles...

I would play footy for free for anybody that would take me, and I can kick and handball better than a lot of AFLW players and I'm almost 40 with a partially-torn patella tendon

Right now, the AFLW is about the contest and the honour of the jumper, as pissy as that sounds. The quality is not there right now for a blanket pay rise
Girls like Erin Phillips and Darcy V from Carlton certainly deserve more as they perform to a higher standard, but they don't sell tickets. Fact is that it's hard to pay people when the incoming funds is minimal to the extreme

There are economic realities at play for us all, but the AFL v AFLW argument can never be a valid one when it comes to payment. Kelli Underwood can go fart in a phonebooth. While I admire her support of the league, it can't be marketed as an elite league just yet. The formative years are always difficult

Do the economic realities as you put it of the AFL actually affect you though?

What tangible effect does the afl being in red have on your experience other than you just don’t want people you don’t know earning money they may not deserve?

Here’s a reality: there are millions of people who fit the criteria in bold the world over. But what they earn does not change your life one iota

 

[uranium_death]

Do the economic realities as you put it of the AFL actually affect you though?

What tangible effect does the afl being in red have on your experience other than you just don’t want people you don’t know earning money they may not deserve?

Here’s a reality: there are millions of people who fit the criteria in bold the world over. But what they earn does not change your life one iota

I'm allowed to be against it in principle, as you are seemingly for

No, it doesn't affect me, as the polar ice caps doesn't really affect me

But I'm allowed to have a whinge too

 

[ManOfClay]

I'm allowed to be against it in principle, as you are seemingly for

No, it doesn't affect me, as the polar ice caps doesn't really affect me

But I'm allowed to have a whinge too

Sure. I freely admit I don’t watch it so clearly like you I don’t enjoy it. That being said, I don’t really care all that much to be worried about what they earn.

Whinge away if you feel it’s worth the time

 

[uranium_death]

Life is okay, so I have to balance it out with a good whinge. Nothing in football really affects our lives, but we all have our say here. It's cathartic in all aspects

I would actually rather money go towards grass roots and local footy than the top flight of any league
Too many local clubs suffer. The AFL says, "the game has never been in greater shape", but the AFL has grown at the expense of smaller clubs

I would rather local girls football be financially supported than the AFLW, as a better base needs to be built, and girls can enjoy the sport without the spectre of media scrutiny or the worry about money

I also think regional footy in general needs more support. I don't want to see clubs like Quambatook disappear as they're essential for the fabric of small towns - which is a bit of a contradiction of my crap-on about financial viability

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Absolutely not and so believe there are a few reasons behind this.

. The standard is so poor. I'd at a guess say the standard is the same level as a local U16 boys game. Have no interest in watching that either.

. No atmosphere. One of the thing COVID taught me was that sport is nothing without crowds. I know they try and push free tickets to get people to the game but the attendances are poor and more importantly there isn't as much passion in the support.

I'm sure there are some other things too but no one I know is interested in it.

I do think it's good for young girls to have positive role models and not just men playing sport but that seems to be the only redeeming feature.

 

[Saab NLAW]

The standard is extremely poor but the biggest problem with AFLW is that it's been taken over by people who are using it to run their political agendas

 

[Feraligatr]

It's not my cup of tea.

I happily watch women's tennis and soccer, as the standard is still elite, but the gap between AFLW and AFL is lightyears apart, in basic skills, ball movement, scoring, excitement, etc. That might change in 10-20 years in which case I'd probably watch my team (Richmond).

This pretty much sums up how I feel about it.
I really enjoy a lot of women's sports but I just can't get into AFLW.

Although I wish it was around earlier because then I might have been able to live my dream of being the captain of Richmond.

 

[justlookingaround]

The standard is extremely poor but the biggest problem with AFLW is that it's been taken over by people who are using it to run their political agendas

I'd say that even more so, AFLW is being used as a cultural lightning rod to further a conservative agenda.
Like, I find it pretty interesting that all my grandparents who could care less about sport suddenly all want to talk shit about women's footy.
But Sky News and Steve Price will do that to ya I guess.

 

[Saab NLAW]

I'd say that even more so, AFLW is being used as a cultural lightning rod to further a conservative agenda.
Like, I find it pretty interesting that all my grandparents who could care less about sport suddenly all want to talk s**t about women's footy.
But Sky News and Steve Price will do that to ya I guess.

Unfortunately, all the media now is driven by bias and political agendas, the art of journalism is dead in this country. On one side it's Sky news, the other is the ABC, and they're both as bad as each other.

The AFLW has been hijacked by political agendas, it doesn't matter which side is using it at the time, both are equally guilty. It's a shame really

 

[uranium_death]

Uncle Bruce does not approve

 

[Diseased_Kevin]

Women should be allowed to kick a footy.

 

[the_interloper]

I've made an effort, been to a few games and try to watch when I can on the TV. It's honestly a struggle for me to watch, at least at the games I can take my son and it's a bit more of an event, and it's great to watch a game at Punt Rd.

When i compare it to other women's sports I'd way rather watch MMA, boxing, basketball, cricket, netball. AFLW is new of course so hopefully the spectacle will improve.

 

[burge13]

Not quite on topic (kind of is, womens sport pay) but the sheer stupidity of the netballers to moan about Origin sponsorship. Netball australia is in the hole, to the point you might not have jobs soon. But yes, please complain about the people saving you... fmd

 

[Flags_In_The_Bag]

No way, they should be allowed to play it by all means, but don't subject people to it on tv in any form.

 

[footyfan1978]

It's good for women to have another outlet of sport they encouraged to play.
I think I watched a few times in first season and a bit, but totally lost interest after honeymoon period. Part of that is I do not feel attached to the players like I do with our traditional men's team because the women can be with one team for a few seasons and with another team a few years later so feel no real club feel at this time, Maybe that will change in decades to come. But as a spectator sport it just not working for me as too scrappy and takes them so much effort to kick goals it just not a winner for me. Maybe a smaller football should be made for them because the football ground size is not going to really change.
I'm far more likely to watch women's sport in terms of tennis or MMA or athletics than football.

 

[00Stinger]

It expanded too quickly imo

 

[the_interloper]

It expanded too quickly imo

I'd tend to agree, plus it got rushed to a platform which doesn't fit the relative standard. As much as they say to not compare to the men's game, well when it gets similar coverage it's hard not to, I mean when you think about it even Netflix competes with the AFL, so clearly AFLW does as well.

 

[00Stinger]

I'd tend to agree, plus it got rushed to a platform which doesn't fit the relative standard. As much as they say to not compare to the men's game, well when it gets similar coverage it's hard not to, I mean when you think about it even Netflix competes with the AFL, so clearly AFLW does as well.

Yeah the same people who praise it, criticize the mens game for not having enough talent to support 18 teams

The standard not being as good as the mens isn't an issue for me, I mean heaps of people enjoy local football and it isn't as good of a standard as the AFL.

Maybe if they were to divide it into 2 divisions it would improve the spectacle and make it a more even/competitive league

 

[Whisper in the Wind]

Don't think I've ever watched a game without North involved. But I also find myself watching fewer Non-North AFL games.

North have been one of the higher rated teams ever since entering the competition - this coincides with North's AFL's side becoming one of the worst. I support the club as a whole, so any wins are welcome.

How many of your AFLW players would you recognise if you passed them in the street? I think you need to become invested in the players before you can start to enjoy it - VFL or U16s is a higher standard, but I have no interest in the players, so have no interest in watching.
It was probably easier for a North fan to do this, because our men's side has been so terrible.
Jas Garner, Emma Kearney, Jenna Bruton and Ash Riddell are all brilliant to watch.
Erika O'Shea and Vikki Wall have been amazing in their first seasons as Irish recruits.
Draftee Charli Granville was a North supporter growing up - great to see her debut and kick her first goals.

Even though there were only 3 goals in the game this week - I still found it entertaining, and honestly wouldn't mind a rewatch. Both teams were setting up well defensively, and it was a contested slog. But in the last quarter, I was on the edge of my seat, riding every tackle and bump just as I would if it were the men's team.

 

[My Tilly]

They are getting much better. I think their athleticism is really improving out of sight. Sometimes there will be a decent contested mark and you would never have seen this at the inception of the league. Going to take time but it's improving no doubt.