Is Women's Footy The Perfect Curtain-Raiser For AFL Games?

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Is Women's Footy The Perfect Curtain-Raiser For AFL Games?

Authored by: Wesley Hull
on Tuesday, January 12 2016 @ 07:16 pm ACDT

My own concern is that we already have a high quality off-season competition that could be more widely marketed and supported in Darwin with the NTFL. It wouldn't take much to take it a few more steps to gain higher viewing exposure and possibly look at games being played outside of Darwin to go to a wider audience.

In this way, the women's competition could still share the winter in some meaningful way - maybe not curtain raisers, but what of traditional Saturday afternoon footy? One AFL match for TV and a whole round of women's matches that could also be streamed of shown live through other channels (I remember the days when the VFL was the domain of Channel 7 and the VFA was Channel 10's baby.) Even now with the cricket the is a market for both Channel 9 (tests and one-dayers) and Channel 10 (Big Bash) to prosper.

There is a way - we just need the right people with foresight, and proper marketing to give us men's and womens's matches and quality footy 12 months a year.

Is Women's Footy The Perfect Curtain-Raiser For AFL Games?

Authored by: Harley Vague
on Tuesday, January 12 2016 @ 09:36 pm ACDT

Brett, never mention those thoughts to a soccer fan!. They would argue that soccer players run as much as AFL players. There were complaints on two consecutive occasions that soccer games weren't moved to a later spot. Normally I'd say there'd only be the odd occasion where we'd be unlucky enough for this problem to occur and they still play games in Darwin don't they, but we've seemed to be on the cusp whereby unhealthily hot nights are on the increase. I'm surprised that soccer doesn't have a bigger problem with the heat to be frank.
Undoubtedly the first reaction is that the women's league needs the big AFL stamp on. But in the state leagues fans know which are the AFL affiliated teams and re-act accordingly so i would suggest that the minimum would be a separate name,design and colours preferably along state lines for the new teams.
We all know how effective television exposure can be. The ABC used to show the SANFL GF natioanlly and state league games on the back channel. That was going nicely until the ABC changed policy and decided to only televise national leagues irrespective of ratings.The NTFL was disproportionately popular because it was shown in summer. If we ignore the heat issue then that summer slot is still wide open for women, state leagues, NT or a variant. The winter football calendar is well and truly booked. There is growing talk of the AFL reserves competition returning and they would face the same predicament as the women (wrt sheduling). 6 teams would have both a reserves and a women's team. One suggestion for Victorian teams is that the reserves would play curtain-raisers at a nearby oval. eg Punt Rd Oval for the MCG. I'm not sure how well that would work.m not sure

Is Women's Footy The Perfect Curtain-Raiser For AFL Games?

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Thursday, January 14 2016 @ 12:08 am ACDT

In terms ok km run, an EPL story suggested the top 15 run about 11 km. Footy stats are hard to come by but people seem to think 15 to 20 km for the midfielders. That's a fair difference. Plus footy has the very physical aspect of collisions and being thrown on the ground. You just can't do it to a high standard for a whole game in 30+ degrees... except looking at Darwin stats for summer they tend to be 2 or 3 degrees higher than Adelaide, and the NTFL goes ok. Maybe not as many extreme days? Maybe it is viable.

Re AFL reserves comp. Seems likely. Gee I hate the idea. Some traditionalists like it because it kicks AFL clubs and players out of state leagues like the SANFL and WAFL. Be careful what they wish for. The SANFL has stayed strong and proud through the AFL era but relies so heavily on an aging supporter base. Kick out the AFL links and I think they'll soon disappear from TV and sponsors will dry up and the supporter base will diminish even faster. Meanwhile the AFL reserves players will play in front of 100 people instead of 1000s, all the while costing the game millions more to fly them all over the country. Just more money chewed up and unavailable to causes like international footy.
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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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