The Brisbane Lions are at the forefront of a push for a national women’s league starting in 2017.
The Age’s Caroline Wilson reported the Lions were “a certainty to stake foundation status is Brisbane, where a significant squad of female footballers have flourished under the management and coaching of (AFL Queensland’s) Craig Starcevich and Breanna Brock”.
Lions CEO Greg Swann held talks with the AFL on Tuesday on the Club’s commitment to being a part of the inaugural women’s competition.
Wilson reported the AFL Commission will next week pave the way for creation of the national women's league, with the first season to start in March 2017, consisting of at least six clubs and the potential for a national draft to establish the historic year one.
“With Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs long considered certain foundation clubs, strong challenges have emerged from Carlton, Essendon, Richmond, Geelong, St Kilda and Collingwood,” she wrote.
“The Magpies are understood to have put forward a strong submission to the AFL, and will hold talks with league officials this week regarding the logistics of a Collingwood women's team.
“The Adelaide Crows, with strong urging from their two women directors Kate Gould and Linda Fellows, are pushing to stake a claim as a foundation club, but have met some resistance from the AFL due to the relative dearth of talent in their state.
“As part of next week's AFL report to the commission, Fairfax Media understands:
- The women's AFL in 2017 will certainly consist of four clubs from Victoria, a Brisbane Lions team and one from Western Australia, with both the Eagles and the Dockers fighting to gain the first women's WA licence;
- The AFL is expected to cover the establishment cost of the foundation teams, estimated at $500,000 per club, incrementally reducing that funding each year;
- The women's AFL competition will start with a televised national league in March 2017 and finish in May to allow minimum interference with local competitions;
- The AFL is considering a national draft to spread talent, but faces the problem of relocating the cream of the country's women players in the early years, given the expected low player payments;
- Next week's commission talks will pave the way for clubs to officially tender for women's licences early next year.”
Wilson reported that AFL executives Simon Lethlean and Mark Evan have been finalising the details before next week's commission briefing, which will also cover highly contentious plans for club zones to be established for multicultural and Indigenous academies to be run across the country.
Lethlean told The Age: "We are working closely with the clubs and our state bodies, and we are all committed to making the right decisions for the establishment of the national women's league. There is a lot of support and excitement – now our job is to ensure it commences with the best structure."
