AFLW fixture news: League expected to release 10 round fixture ignoring players’ pleas

In a move set to anger players and heighten the threat of strike action, clubs expect the AFL to release a 10-round home-and-away women’s fixture for the 2024 season.

MELBOURNE. 02/04/2022. AFLW. Preliminary Final. Melbourne vs Brisbane at the MCG. Melbournes Tayla Harris clears by hand during the 2nd qtr. . Photo by Michael Klein

Clubs expect the AFL to release a 10-round home-and-away women’s fixture next week in a move that will infuriate players and heighten the threat of strike action.

The AFL Players’ Association is demanding the league commits to growing the women’s game and wants to expand the season to a full 17-round fixture by 2026.

The AFLPA’s proposal would see this season swell to 12 rounds before 14 in 2024, 16 in 2025 and 17 in 2026.

That would culminate in players earning 12-month contracts as full-time professionals.

But the league is refusing to commit to a longer season in 2023 or in the future before it assesses key metrics such as attendances and TV ratings.

Tayla Harris playing for Melbourne. Photo by Michael Klein

Western Bulldogs coach Nathan Burke said on Saturday: “No one wants to play 10 (games). Give them a pathway to a proper league rather than an exhibition of women’s football tagged on to the men’s season”.

Burke said players would threaten strike action if the AFL did not budge on its attempt to lock in 10 AFLW rounds for the next nine years.

“The players will not take that, they will use the ‘S’ word (strike),” Burke said.

AFLPA boss Paul Marsh told the Herald Sun that AFLW risked “falling further behind” competitors including soccer, which will take centre stage next month with Australia co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“The AFLPA and players are still negotiating the CBA with the AFL, so the AFLW season structure, including number of games, is yet to be agreed and locked in,” Marsh said.

“We are currently visiting all AFLW members, and they are resolute in their desire for the continued growth of AFLW, including season length.

Nathan Burke. Picture by Michael Klein

“We have been transparent with the AFL about our desire and rationale for competition growth and players are committed to their part in ensuring that the AFLW is Australia’s strongest women’s code.

“In order to do that, the league must up the ante or risk falling further behind its major competitors.”

But multiple clubs told the Herald Sun they were expecting the AFL to release a fixture with the identical structure to last season – 10 home-and-away rounds and a three weeks of finals.

That has the potential to blow up pay talks between the AFL and AFLPA, who are already at an impasse.

If a fresh Collective Bargaining Agreement cannot be struck before the season begins in September then it is understood a Heads of Agreement will see last year’s pay deal rollover.

That scenario would see players back-filled once a new pay deal is eventually struck.

Melbourne president Kate Roffey expected the league would stick with a 10-round season.

“I think it’ll stay a relatively short season until things settle a bit more, particularly with four new teams who are still fairly new,” Roffey, who is on the AFLW Competition Committee, said.

“So I suspect it will be pretty much running along the same line as last year.”

Roffey called for a longer season to minimise the luck of the draw.

Clubs are also set to lobby the AFL to overlap the women’s and men’s season in winter, with AFLW matches to be played as curtain-raisers at AFL venues.

“If we’re going to a full-on women’s comp we’re going to have to look at something like that otherwise we just can’t cope as clubs with the volume of work because we don’t have two sets of administration,” Roffey said on RSN.

“We have only one membership team, one media team, only one president and one CEO.