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Bazza wrote: To me this is bad news for WAFL, it shows that the public are keener to support something like this than WAFL , and its YET another entry into a crowded sports market that the WAFL has to compete with.

How so the girls are playing in an 8 week window before the WAFL season even starts?
As one of the other posters remarked maybe we should of leverage off this sudden popularity and be playing a pre season comp (like the old Red Rooster Carnival, Kresta Cup, Emu Export Cup of old) before the AFLW games to get the young boys & girls attending this novelty connected with our comp and their parents connected or in some cases re-connected.
Some WAFL clubs have been way ahead in reading the play of the popularity of womens footy having a side for a dozen years or so already and I believe there were 12 Swans players playing yesterday although somehow Fremantle farked up their recruiting once again by overlooking the best womens player in the state/country in Chelsea Randall who went to Adelaide instead!

I am not convinced that its the free entry that is the attraction. People are watching on TV too.
There are other features to this "product" eg time slot; shorter quarter without time on; 16 on the field.
I'm not saying the WAFL has to run like this all year but can't the WAFL generate interest and reconnect with fans by leveraging in the pre-season before AFL starts?

if the WAFL was given the marketing budget the AFL uses for women's footy it would be fine considering its a 1000 times better standard of football.

Factor opinion wrote: I am not convinced that its the free entry that is the attraction. People are watching on TV too.
There are other features to this "product" eg time slot; shorter quarter without time on; 16 on the field.
I'm not saying the WAFL has to run like this all year but can't the WAFL generate interest and reconnect with fans by leveraging in the pre-season before AFL starts?

Will the AFL bankroll it? Only fair.

MarkOlsen wrote: if the WAFL was given the marketing budget the AFL uses for women's footy it would be fine considering its a 1000 times better standard of football.

surely $wan$ could bankroll it from the $29m....

looks like someone got dropped on their head again on the weekend.

AGLW gets 10,000 plus at Freo Oval with no entry fee
W-League get 5,000 at Nib charging $20 Adults, $10 concession
WNBL get 800 at Bendat charging $20 Adult, $11 concession

WAFL gets 700-1200 at games charging $20 Adult or $15 Members or concession.
300 players and officials get in for free and anyone 15yo and under are also free. High percentage of concession or members in attendance so the clubs don't take that much money from the gate.

Be interested to know how SFFC's bar and food sales compared yesterday to a regular WAFL game and at what point a larger crowds spend on food and drink with free entry would offset the loss of gate takings from a regular WAFL crowd

Maybe the WAFC could have afforded to fund a proper pre season comp and or more grassroots footy it if they didn't have to fork out a ridiculous compensation package to a mob who had not 1 but 2 grounds redeveloped by taxpayers/ratepayers for the benefit of only a handful of silver bodgies who support that particular club.

I went along to the game yesterday. The atmosphere at the ground was great. I saw a lot of young girls in the age range 8 - 14 wearing Dockers gear and this is a reminder of what this initiative is all about. Yes the standard of footy isn't great at the moment( that's why its free) but this is a long term plan to inspire women to get involved in the game in a playing capacity. The more young women that decide to take up the sport, the more the standard of play will improve. Some people are too willing to slag off at it when this project is only in its infancy.

mikeh wrote: I went along to the game yesterday. The atmosphere at the ground was great. I saw a lot of young girls in the age range 8 - 14 wearing Dockers gear and this is a reminder of what this initiative is all about. Yes the standard of footy isn't great at the moment( that's why its free) but this is a long term plan to inspire women to get involved in the game in a playing capacity. The more young women that decide to take up the sport, the more the standard of play will improve. Some people are too willing to slag off at it when this project is only in its infancy.

I get that they are looking to the future, but just look at the Womens Soccer? 20 years on, no-one watches it.
Maybe they should have waited until the skills actually develop before they cram it down everyone's throat. In 10 years when the new girls come through it will be dead.