Expansion of the Women's Competition

[T-Boon]

A big part of the difference in crowds is how AFL attracts women and girls to games. Go to an AFL game and it is very diverse in gender, much more than NRL games imo.

I suspect you are correct. Why do you think that is?

 

[Bojackhorseman]

I suspect you are correct. Why do you think that is?

You wonder why there might be more women watching women’s sport? Here’s a thought. Maybe men don’t want to watch it?

 

[T-Boon]

You wonder why there might be more women watching women’s sport? Here’s a thought. Maybe men don’t want to watch it?

He was talking about the ratio of women to men at AFL games compared to NRL games.
Higher ratio of women to men at AFL compared to NRL.

 

[Bojackhorseman]

He was talking about the ratio of women to men at AFL games compared to NRL games.
Higher ratio of women to men at AFL compared to NRL.

Well he’s wrong.

 

[Perth Red]

Well he’s wrong.

That’s a very firm statement, any evidence? I find women are generally much more into afl than any sport I’ve come across. The women at work are mad for it and all ticketed members of eagles or dockers. I’ve never seen this level of interest in men’s team sports by women before. Having been to a handful of afl games and plenty of nrl games my experience is the gender and age diversity is quite different Between the codes.

 

[Perth Red]

I suspect you are correct. Why do you think that is?

Have to say no idea tbh. Maybe afl is just more ingrained into family culture in afl cities, maybe it’s less physical so seen as less masculine by women or maybe the afl has worked hard to market to the female market, maybe afl stadiums cater to women better. Really dont know but it is definitely a thing.

 

[The Great Dane]

That’s a very firm statement, any evidence? I find women are generally much more into afl than any sport I’ve come across. The women at work are mad for it and all ticketed members of eagles or dockers. I’ve never seen this level of interest in men’s team sports by women before. Having been to a handful of afl games and plenty of nrl games my experience is the gender and age diversity is quite different Between the codes.

That isn't really all that surprising considering you are based in Perth!

By the way, my experience is the exact opposite of yours.

More women that I know are into the NRL and are ticketed members of the Raiders (or support another NRL team) then support any other sport, but I reckon that is because the women I know are from Canberra and the women you know are from Perth, and as a result they, like the men, were largely influenced by the culture they were raised in, and their preference in sport has nothing to do with any sport being more or less appealing to either sex.

 

[mongoose]

That isn't really all that surprising considering you are based in Perth!

By the way, my experience is the exact opposite of yours.

More women that I know are into the NRL and are ticketed members of the Raiders (or support another NRL team) then support any other sport, but I reckon that is because the women I know are from Canberra and the women you know are from Perth, and as a result they, like the men, were largely influenced by the culture they were raised in, and their preference in sport has nothing to do with any sport being more or less appealing to either sex.

Yep, my partner was a Broncos member for years with a group of about 6 other women.
I would say one factor that would attract more women is modern facilities where they can feel safe and comfortable. So somewhere like Brookvale probably won't get as many women attendees, but I don't know for sure as I've never been there.

 

[Perth Red]

That isn't really all that surprising considering you are based in Perth!

By the way, my experience is the exact opposite of yours.

More women that I know are into the NRL and are ticketed members of the Raiders (or support another NRL team) then support any other sport, but I reckon that is because the women I know are from Canberra and the women you know are from Perth, and as a result they, like the men, were largely influenced by the culture they were raised in, and their preference in sport has nothing to do with any sport being more or less appealing to either sex.

I’m not basing this on perth, just on places I’ve lived in the world and different sports I’ve attended in many places over the years, I’m a bit of a sports tourist and like to travel to see sport. I’m not saying women don’t go to other sports, of course they do, just I’ve not encountered the same fervour or scale that I see in women for afl. Maybe the singlets and tight shorts lol

 

[TheRam]

The next season or the season after that it should go to 8 teams and the comp should look like this

Brisbane
New Zealand
St George Illawarra
Roosters
Parramatta
New Castle
Melbourne
North QLD

Then around 3-5 years later it should expand to 10 teams and the next 2 should be

Manly
Penrith

and that should see out the 2020's at least. Then depending how well it is going and the pool talent has increased we then look at increasing again maybe with Souths and 2nd Brisbane team.

 

[TheRam]

That is a lazy argument that assumes that you need the Broncos for women in Brisbane to be interested in playing the sport, that is obviously false on the face of it because if that was true then the sport wouldn't exist in Brisbane at all because their was in fact a time before the Broncos existed. So if you need an existing brand and narrative to attract people to the sport how can the sport possible exist or be successful if there was such a time that no pre-existing brands and narratives existed, meaning that nobody would have been attracted to the sport in the first place, resulting in it dying with it's creators.

Look if I got the chance to speak with a women that was making this same argument I'd say to them do you want to be remembered as some chick that played for the same club that Langer, Walters, Lazarus, etc, etc, made great, or do you want the opportunity to be remembered as one of the great players that built a new clubs into what it is, i.e. do you want to have played for the same club as the greats or do you want the opportunity to become one of the greats made a club what it is yourself.
Because if you play in the female team of a men's club you'll only ever be a chick who played in the women's team that opened for the main event, where if you start your own club you not only have the opportunity to be the main event but you have the opportunity to write yourself into that's club history just as Langer had the opportunity to write his name into the Broncos history.

Think of it this way: Do you think it's better to be part of Sydney FC's women's team or part of North QLD

Sure Sydney FC is a bigger club than Canberra United, but Sydney FC's women's department is smaller than Canberra United's and always will be because most of Sydney FC is resources are focused on the men's team where all of Canberra United's are focused on the women's team.

Who's Canberra United?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Brisbane
NZ
Roosters
Dragons
Eels
Melbourne
Canberra
PNG Hunters

 

[Vee]

Greenfool on AFLsiders this morning was asked about expansion of the NRLW and replied more games next year and more teams in 2021.

Hopefully that means H&A for the girls next year.

 

[T-Boon]

It’s a pretty good crowd for the GF considering it is the GF of a competition that doesn’t really exist.

 

[T-Boon]

For 2020:
Broncos
Dolphins (or other Brisbane 2)
Roosters
Dragons
Warriors

8 game season. Home/away. 3 game GF series.

 

[greenBV4]

Broncos
Dolphins (or other Brisbane 2)
Roosters
Dragons
Warriors

Throw in Melbourne as well to have an even number

Womens league is growing pretty fast down here (faster than the men's I think I've heard), and they are basically building a $12 million+ high performance centre for them out at Broadmeadows (it's for juniors + an eventual womens team)

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Greenfool on AFLsiders this morning was asked about expansion of the NRLW and replied more games next year and more teams in 2021.

Hopefully that means H&A for the girls next year.

I like that they are building slowly with a definite eye on growth.

There is so much quick potential in the NRLW. It may never move outside of a curtain-raiser, but as a tv product they could very easily outdraw ALeague or SuperUnion for viewers.

With a decent TV contract and and a few FTA games, NRLW could become a strong and stable comp in its own right.

I wasnt convinced by it as a concept when it was first put together (I thought we should focus on the internationals rather than the club comp), but seeing the progress the players have made in just one year and seeing what it has done for the game, I am all in as a supporter!!!

 

[T-Boon]

With a decent TV contract and and a few FTA games, NRLW could become a strong and stable comp in its own right.

I wasnt convinced by it as a concept when it was first put together (I thought we should focus on the internationals rather than the club comp), but seeing the progress the players have made in just one year and seeing what it has done for the game, I am all in as a supporter!!!

I think they would be better off having the women's final on the Saturday night prior to the Sunday night GF.
Have it at Bankwest, make the mens grand finalists have an open training session each prior to the game and give fans with a ticket to the GF free entry.

 

[Perth Red]

They desperately need another Qland team in it to spread the talent a bit

 

[MrE_Assassin]

I think they would be better off having the women's final on the Saturday night prior to the Sunday night GF.
Have it at Bankwest, make the mens grand finalists have an open training session each prior to the game and give fans with a ticket to the GF free entry.

I think you're on something with the stand alone GF the night before and allowing Men's GF ticketed persons to enter free entry, but I disagree with the men's open training session being involved as I think it dilutes the seriousness of the competition.... Plus the night before is usually when teams close off to media and fans so the game plan/who's in who's out doesn't slip out.

The last thing I'd want the night before the GF is to see my opposition training on the same paddock. Just my opinion, but i don't like have a comp's GF preceeded with a training session.