I've a lot of time for Sam Mitchell - dream midfielder, absolute engine of a player. So essential to the three-peat.
Recognition of women's football at the highest level is long overdue but I'm really intrigued to see what the AFL's plan is with regards to nurturing organic growth in support and professionalism of the league. Has anyone seen any long term strategic detail as to how the AFL sees the women's league running alongside the men's competition?
As it will be THE highest level of women's football competition in the world (unlike in soccer or basketball, with their global appeal and international competitions) there is a serious opportunity for a women's league to co-exist as a highly engaging professional AFL competition that pulls strong ratings and draws five-figure crowds (by 2025)... maybe I'm just a small man with a big idea, be careful of me, Josephine.
I hope that the AFL (and the clubs) don't exhaust the arrival of women's football as purely as a PR stunt (or CSR) with limited foreseeable potential.... The PR has it's place, but I hope the AFL doesn't blow this golden opportunity for a genuinely sustainable league of widespread interest. This isn't just an U18s league or a Reserves comp... Professional women's footy will be a huge product if managed carefully.
Sent from a barge floating through the docks of Dublin