AFLW clubs reject six-week proposal to remain seven or eight weeks plus finals next season
THE AFLW will try new rule changes in minor competitions this year but the clubs have rejected a proposal to shorten the competition, which is now tipped to be played over seven or eight weeks plus finals.
THE AFLW clubs have rejected a proposal to cut the regular season of the AFL’s women's league to six matches and is likely to propose a seven or eight-week season plus finals next year.
The AFLW competition committee met in Melbourne yesterday and discussed the length of the season, rules to be trialled ahead of next year and the future of the competition.
It was agreed a suggested six games — in a competition that will expand to 10 teams — would be too short and the consensus was that seven or eight games would be ideal, along with a two-week finals format.
For the first two seasons of the AFLW, there were seven home-and-away matches — everybody played everybody else once — followed by a grand final.
The most likely scenario for next season will be seven or eight home-and-away matches followed by a weekend of preliminary finals and then a grand final the week after that.
It is yet to be decided whether there will be two conferences, a format that is seen as the likely scenario once more teams enter the competition.
Adelaide football administration manager Phil Harper, who is on the committee, said the clubs had been strong in rejecting a shorter competition as it is still in a growth stage.
The competition will be played at the same time this year — in the lead-up to the men’s season — but a shift to playing it earlier has not been ruled out as the competition grows.
The committee also agreed on rule changes that will be tried in the Victorian league and an under-18 AFLW exhibition match in Adelaide later this month.
AFL Head of Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone said the trials were an important step to help confirm rules for the 2019 NAB AFL Women’s Competition.
“We want to make the AFL as competitive and vibrant as possible and potential rule shifts are part of that process,” Livingstone said. “The AFLW competition already has a unique set of rules with the introduction of the size four football and 16 players a side in 2017 and the ‘last touch’ rule in 2018.
“Our aim is to help create a more free-flowing game and we see potential changes to the game as a way to bring the best out of our players and to make the AFLW an even better game
The decision to alter AFLW rules will be made by the AFL Commission before the AFLW teams commence preseason training in November.
The AFLW competition committee will meet again in the first week of September to come up with a proposed format for next year’s competition.
RULES TRIAL
KICK-ins from an extended goal square
BOUNDARY umpire throw-ins will be brought in 10 metres
A LEGAL kick will be reduced from 15 metres to 10 metres, and
LAST disposal awarded only between the 50m arcs.