AFLW gets rule changes for season 10 as Kane opens up on restructure

New rules promoting free-flowing football and high scoring are at the centre of the AFLW’s ambition to be “the best women’s sports competition in the country” ahead of the league’s milestone 10th season.

In a wide-ranging interview, operations boss Laura Kane and AFLW general manager Emma Moore reflected on a potential State of Origin match, grand final venues, the role of influencers and the recent restructure at AFL House.

AFLW has been in the headlines for less than ideal reasons ahead of the first game of season 10 on August 14, prompted by news the women’s game was losing $50 million a year. The AFL’s review into W cited concerns around on-field performances, dwindling crowd numbers and diminishing broadcast audiences.

However, in an interview with this masthead on Friday, both Moore and Kane remained optimistic about the competition’s future.

“My biggest takeaway, actually, is just how well we’re going and that not withstanding the fact that we’re going so well, we want to be the best,” Kane said. “We want to be the best women’s sporting competition in this country on every metric.

“We’re there on some of them, but we want to be the best on every single one.”

AFLW introduces rule change for season 10

On Thursday the AFL Commission confirmed AFLW would remain in its current timeslot on the football calendar indefinitely – between August and November.

The commission also announced the implementation of several new rules this season including regulations around ball-up positions near the boundary and stricter umpire interpretations around holding the ball.

According to Kane, the rules are designed to support more free-flowing football and higher scoring. The AFL will monitor the metrics around scoring, margins and transition and will provide the laws of the game committee insights for any future changes.

No grand final at Marvel, but Origin is on the table

The past two AFLW grand finals have sold out Ikon Park in Carlton – which has a capacity of 12,000 – igniting calls for the event to move to a larger stadium.

The growing calls usually cite Docklands’ Marvel Stadium as an ideal venue, with a capacity of over 53,000. However, both Kane and Moore wanted to focus on growing a sustainable audience during the home-and-away season. Last season, an average 2600 fans turned up per game – likely impaired by last year’s controversial condensed fixture and inconvenient timeslots for fans.

Kane said it was important for her team to look at the whole season, not just the grand final.

“Emma and the team are leading a sustainable audience growth strategy to make sure that we’re selling out every single game every single week as often as we can, and that we’re forced to move to these big stadiums,” she said. “Not because 3000 more people will come, but because 35,000 more people will come.”

Over the past few years players, fans and prominent figures in the football have encouraged the return of representative football to the women’s game – something the NRL uses to capitalise on interest in its own women’s competition, drawing millions of TV viewers.

Several AFLW captains told this masthead they would be eager for the AFL to establish regular state of origin football as a way to build passion and interest

When asked if there would be AFLW State of Origin event in the next five years, Moore said they were considering the idea.

“We have so many great ideas on the table and absolutely, we are not ruling out a State of Origin event.”

‘Great to share the load’: Kane on AFL restructure

In May, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon announced a restructure at AFL House, notably splitting Kane’s previous role as executive general manager of football in two, with Kane to remain on the AFL’s leadership team as executive general manager of football operations and Greg Swann appointed to head of football performance.

Kane said it “was great to share the load” with Swann and conceded her original portfolio had gotten “bigger and bigger” over the years.

“We’ve always had a lot to do,” she said. “I’ve been in footy now for almost a decade, and every single year it’s got bigger, better, more expansive, more teams, more programs, more games, playing in more places.

“So to be able to share the load now, from an executive perspective, with Greg Swann, who I’ve known the whole time I’ve been in football, is great. It’s really great to have him here to share that load.

“It allows us to have a sharper focus on football operations, healthcare, more broadly, and the growth of W.”

The role of footy influencers

Moore said the league would continue to promote AFLW through their “fantastic partnerships” with broadcast networks and clubs, however was open to expanding into new formats and channels, highlighting “talkability of W” with regards to the growing number of footy content creators.

“It’s around how we connect people that may not yet know about football even, and how we can make it relatable, fun, something that they’re really interested in,” she said.

“So it’s not an either-or approach. It’s how you bring in all the different elements together that talk about W that gives people the opportunity to experience it, that help them connect and engage with it. So it’s really relevant that it comes through lots of different formats and mediums, and influencers are just one part of that.”

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