Adelaide Footy League clubs back AFLW expansion and new kick off date

Local women’s team coaches have had their say on the AFLW’s plan to expand in 2022/23 and have the season start in December. See their thoughts here.

Local clubs have backed an AFL decision to expand the women’s league to 18 teams by 2023.

The AFL on Thursday announced it would call for submissions from the four clubs still without an AFLW side – Port Adelaide, Essendon, Hawthorn and Sydney – to join the league in its seventh season, to be run over the summer of 2022-23.

The decision means it is likely Port’s inaugural women’s team will play its first AFLW game in late 2022; the seventh season of the AFLW.

Morphettville Park after winning the 2020 division two women's flag. Picture: Dee Shepard

Since the first season of the AFLW and SANFLW competitions began in 2017, there has been a surge in Adelaide Footy League clubs introducing female sides and participation has also soared.

According to the AFL, female participation numbers have risen by 100 per cent since 2015, with more than 67,000 women and girls playing the game each week.

Morphettville Park, meanwhile, has been a powerhouse in the Adelaide Footy League’s division one women’s competition, having claimed flags in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The club, which won the division one reserves grand final last year, has also produced AFLW players including two-time Crows premiership stars Courtney Cramey and Ebony Marinoff.

Morphettville Park is sitting top of this campaigns ladder and football director Lisa Gascoigne welcomed the AFL’s decision to ensure all 18 clubs had teams by 2023.

Courtney Cramey, Kellie Gibson and Ebony Marinoff back in 2016 during their time with Morphettville Park. Picture: Calum Robertson

“I think it’s a great thing for women’s football,” Gascoigne said.

“It will mean there will be more opportunities for players in SA to be picked up by local and interstate teams to play at the elite level.

“It’s great the AFL has also thought about timelines around it so it’s in a few years not the next couple of months so the other competitions — the local comp and the SANFLW — can work towards that in building the talent.

“Our club has a really proud history of players going on to AFLW, both for the Adelaide Crows and for other interstate teams.

“We are excited about the opportunity for some players to go on to those new expansion clubs, too.”

The next season of the AFLW will kick off in December this year, culminating in a grand final in March, before the men’s competition starts.

It will likely have a seven-day break over the Christmas period.

“We saw a huge influx of players and interest in local community football when the AFLW competition was first put together and that was fantastic for our club because we went to three senior women’s sides,” Gascoigne said.

“I think that this will be another boost to numbers and hopefully with retention.

“We are really proud of the fact we’ve stayed in division one the whole time, even when other players went on to play AFLW or SANFLW and it’s exciting for us

Goodwood Saints fields a team in division four, division four reserves and an under-17.5 side.

Goodwood Saints after winning the 2020 women's division five grand final. Picture: Dee Shepard

Senior women’s coach Kathryn Harrison said she “absolutely” agreed with having an 18-team AFLW competition by 2023.

“At the moment we are lucky that we have such a strong women’s program and it’s created a real connection within that space,” Harrison said.

“I’m pretty confident given the amount of time and the strength of participation at the younger levels the girls will be up to the standard of being able to contribute in a strong way.

“I think it’s a really good thing moving forward.”

Harrison hoped expanding the number of teams would also mean extending the number of minor round games from nine to ensure each side plays each other once.

“I would hate to see it be (played) in conferences where you don’t actually play everybody,” Harrison said.

“I think if you’re going to have an 18-team competition, you need to have at least a home and away series so every body gets an opportunity to play across the country in a way that’s sustainable.”

Payneham Norwood Union also fields a team in the Adelaide Footy League women’s division one competition and coach Ben Hunt echoed their thoughts.

“I think it (the expansion) is a great thing,” Hunt said.

“It gives an opportunity for potentially another 120 girls to get to play at an AFLW level.

“I think it’ll even up the comp, especially in South Australia.

“Everyone talks about (a potential) women’s Showdown between Port and Crows and I think that’ll be magnificent as well.”