Arabic version: الغموض حول مواعيد دوري AFLW يعقّد تخطيط الأندية

According to ABC News, uncertainty over AFLW season dates is affecting club planning, player preparation and promotion of the competition. The AFLW grand final will be played on November 27 following a 12-round home-and-away season, but the decider was announced just before round three, 13 weeks before the date.

Former AFLW player and senior coach Lauren Arnell said greater certainty would help clubs structure pre-season programs. She said that a week more or less in pre-season has a “significant impact” on planning, including high-performance work and what can be taught through a football program.

The AFL announced the women’s fixture on May 21, giving clubs 80 days’ notice before the season. By comparison, men’s players have 196 days from the announcement of key dates to March 17, the earliest proposed start date for the 2027 season, and 395 days until next year’s men’s decider. AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the league was pleased to provide fans and clubs with clarity well ahead of the 2027 men’s season.

Richmond AFLW player Rebecca Miller said earlier fixtures would help players with jobs outside football inform employers, while also allowing fans to plan attendance and the league to promote matches. She noted that the last three AFLW grand finals have sold out at Princes Park. Arnell said a priority for the competition should be ensuring every team plays each other once before settling the season’s place in the calendar and the grand-final date.