AFLW’s success spurs boom in girls’, women’s football

As AFLW prepares to kick off its third season, tens of ­thousands of girls and women are already proving the value in having a league of their own, tackling the sport with great enthusiasm.

These young football fans can’t wait for the new AFLW season to begin. Picture: Jay Town

As AFLW prepares to kick off its third season, tens of ­thousands of girls and women are already proving the value in having a league of their own.

Figures from the soon-to-be-released 2018 AFL participation census reveal that girls are tackling the sport with great enthusiasm.

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According to the census ­results, before AFLW elbowed its way into public consciousness in 2017 there were just 960 ­female football teams ­registered in Australia.

After the inaugural AFLW season, that figure climbed 76 per cent to 1690 teams, and in 2018 that figure rose another 35 per cent to 2281.

“It’s a significant growth, and it’s not just young girls, but women are also contributing to this significant growth, ­because they look at our league and think, ‘I can give that a crack,” said AFLW CEO ­Nicole Livingstone.

“Our players are so diverse and unique — role models and heroes that girls can see and connect with and think, ‘She’s like me’.”

While the grassroots level of the game has certainly been turbocharged, Livingstone says she is passionate about not only championing girls’ participation, but also to stay in the sport.

“I came from a sport where it was very clear what stepping stones you needed to take to get to the top, so we have to ­invest in national talent pathways,” she said. The addition of two new clubs, Geelong and North Melbourne, to the league this year will also introduce more fans to the sport.

“One of the wonderful things about AFLW is the strength of the AFL,” she says.

Ten young girls in the jumpers of all the 2019 AFLW teams, including the two newcomers, Geelong and North Melbourne. Picture: Jay Town

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“Geelong and the Kangaroos will bring a new band of­ ­fanatical supporters to the league and give fans who love their team’s colours new players — female players — to follow,” Livingstone said.

The third season of AFL Women’s kicks off this weekend with the two new teams playing.

Geelong will host its first game on Saturday night against Collingwood, with North ­Melbourne travelling to ­Hobart to begin its inaugural AFLW campaign against ­Carlton on Sunday.

Despite no AFLW captain tipping the reigning premier to retain its title, the Western Bulldogs are favourites with bookies to claim the silverware in nine weeks.

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Originally published as AFLW’s success spurs boom in girls’, women’s football