Current season, competition or edition: 2024 AFL Women's season | |
 | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 15 September 2016 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| First season | 2017 |
| CEO | Emma Moore |
| No. of teams | 18 |
| Country | Australia |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Current premiers | Brisbane (2nd premiership) |
| Most premiers | Adelaide (3 premierships) |
| TV partner(s) | Seven Network Fox Footy |
| Streaming partner(s) | 7plus (Australia) Kayo Sports (Australia) WatchAFL (Overseas) |
| Sponsor(s) | NAB |
| Related competitions | AFL AFLW Under 18 Championships QAFL Women's SANFL Women's VFL Women's WAFL Women's |
| Official website | womens |
AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 14 teams in 2020 and 18 teams in 2022. The league is run by the Australian Football League (AFL) and is contested by each of the clubs from that competition. The reigning premiers are the Brisbane Lions.
The AFLW is the second most attended women's football competition in Australia (behind A-League Women) and one of the most popular women's football competitions in the world. Its average attendance in 2019 of 6,262 per game made it the second-highest of any domestic women's football competition. Its record attendance of 53,034 for the 2019 AFL Women's Grand Final was until 2020 the highest match attendance for women's sport in Australia.
The AFLW has attracted an audience of more than 1 million attendees[1] and 2 million viewers[2] and has managed to maintain high interest while moving to primarily ticketed and subscription broadcasting models since the 2021 season. It consistently ranks in the top three (alongside cricket and netball) most watched women's sporting competitions in Australia.[3] The league receives international interest, particularly in Ireland where it has begun to attract a significant television audience due to the ongoing recruitment of Irish Gaelic football stars.[4] However, it was reported in mid-2023 that data revealed a significant drop in attendances for the seventh season of the women's league compared to the first season.[5]
- ^ "AFLW passes the million mark as crowds keep growing". AFLW. 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Over 2.6 million Australians watch AFLW on TV", from Roy Morgan, 29 March 2021, Finding No. 8674.
- ^ "Fox Sports research shows women's sport gaining popularity in Australia". Mediaweek. 6 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022.
- ^ Bastiani, Gemma (4 May 2023). "The Cora effect: What's behind the explosion of Irish AFLW interest". AFLW. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023.
- ^ "AFLW attendance and ratings numbers don't tell full story". ABC Radio Melbourne. 6 July 2023. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.