https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/why-essendon-and-hawthorn-were-overlooked-for-aflw-licences-why-geelong-and-north-melbourne-are-in-for-2019/news-story/5567991b13f37b81126bbf5957c6e831

Existing Teams:  Carlton, Collingwood, Melbourne, Adelaide, Freo, Brisbane, GWS. Bulldogs

2019 - Geelong and North join

2020 - West Coast, Richmond, St Kilda, and Gold Coast join.

?? - Essendon, Hawthorn, Port, Sydney (have not applied for a license). 

There will be no AFLW team south of the Yarra until 2020!  Even then it will be the Saints who look to the bayside as their catchment area.

We have a Multicultural Academy taking in the area around Dandenong.  We have the Casey Demons.  From next year we have a Casey Demon's team in the VFLW. 

This is a huge opportunity for MFC to lock down the southern and south east corridor of Melbourne and its outer ring suburbs as its catchment area.  It is really important we establish ourselves before Hawthorn move to Dingley when they will spread their wings from the east to the south east.

The potential for supporter growth in the next few years is huge with a commensurate increase in memberships beyond that.

 

Mods - sorry I opened this in the wrong forum.  Could you please move to the AFLW Forum.  Thanks.

Edited September 27, 20178 yr by Lucifer's Hero

Massive mistake by the AFL, number 1 priority is increasing the quality of the product not the size.  The Talent pool isn't there Build a real elite AFLW have a high quality product get the path ways built and established right then in 5-10 years expand.  From what I heard on Sunday their is still uncertainty of the VFLW next year with the most powerful female club still uncertain whether they will get a license

17 minutes ago, drdrake said:

Massive mistake by the AFL, number 1 priority is increasing the quality of the product not the size.  The Talent pool isn't there Build a real elite AFLW have a high quality product get the path ways built and established right then in 5-10 years expand.  From what I heard on Sunday their is still uncertainty of the VFLW next year with the most powerful female club still uncertain whether they will get a license

Totally agree with that. 

My concern is they will allow the additional clubs 'poaching' rights and draft privilege like they gave GWS and GCS which will dilute the quality of the teams already in existence.

We saw how GWS and GCS for the lesser AFL existing clubs.  The AFLW teams won't have the resilience to bounce back as they themselves will be fledgling teams still.

Nonetheless, the expansion is a now a given and I was looking at it from an MFC point of view. 

It is a huge opportunity for MFC to capture the players and their supporters in the south/south east before STK and Hawthorn do.

Edited September 27, 20178 yr by Lucifer's Hero

The advantage of expansion will be an increase in support as supporters of the men's AFL start to follow their women's team. I know my interest level in the AFLW is increased by having a team to follow. Increased interest will then flow through to increased player numbers. 

I don't know what the correct pace of expansion should be but given how well the AFL has managed the creation of the AFLW so far (and let's face it, there are plenty of examples in other areas where the AFL has managed things badly...or worse), I'll give the AFL the benefit of any doubt here and accept that they might actually know what they're doing. 

4 extra teams in 2020 is a joke. What sort of quality will there be playing. On top of that what sort of crowds will there be. Maybe the first year crowds were beginners luck ?

Just introduce the 2 more in 2019 and see what happens over a few years.

i got the impression the 2020 additions were not a given

Typical AFL arrogance, with due respect to the girls but there is no way the talent pool is big enough to cater to more than 10 teams based on the current standard  and the pool available. 

7 minutes ago, Jibroni said:

Typical AFL arrogance, with due respect to the girls but there is no way the talent pool is big enough to cater to more than 10 teams based on the current standard  and the pool available. 

exactly

a 75% increase in players over a 2 year period. existing clubs still short on talent will be pillaged and draft concessions given in bulk

this is equivalent to introducing 13.5 new afl clubs!

are they trying to kill it off?..... bizarre

AFL is about to go backwards and down.making so many mistakes under Gill

And once again the AFL pander to vested interests, rather than look at where the strength of the AFLW competition lie. 

No surprise when the 2 Grand Finalist this week come from the same corridor, where there is a strong basis and structure to build upon. 

But the next big area is south of the Yarra, where the St. Kilda Sharks are over run with players every week, and will not see a team from that area until 2020. 

Instead we have North Melbourne with no grass roots womens competition in their area given a licence to be run in conjunction with Tasmania and Gold Coast given the nod fror 2020, where there is zero...zero interest in AFL ( or any other sport for that matter).

Instead of concentrating on building up the number of teams, the AFL should be investing in basic infrastructure to support the future of AFLW.  I know of womens teams that cannot get access to grounds because they have too many girls wanting to play the game.  Other womens teams that don't have womens change rooms at the grounds. 

Get the basics right and the competition will build itself.  All we will see is the talent too thinly spread, or poached and the interest in the game will drop off, when the standard drops.