Why AFLW clubs and players are disappointed in no double-headers

GWS was surprised this year's AFLW fixture would feature no double-headers after being one of the "strong advocates" for the initiative.

There will be a two-round crossover between the end of the men's home-and-away season and the AFLW.

The men's finals will then continue through the women's season.

AFLW announces season schedule Photo shows A Gold Coast AFLW player sprints to gather the ball and run clear, as a West Coast defender chases her. The AFL players' association says it is disappointed the league did not heed its request for any double-headers featuring men's and women's games.

The Giants particularly thought it would work for their round-24 men's home match at the Sydney Showground against St Kilda.

However, their women's team were scheduled to play in Melbourne that weekend against Collingwood instead.

GWS's executive general manager of AFLW and football operations, Alison Zell, said while she understood double-headers might not work for all clubs, it would have been feasible from the Giants' perspective and helped grow their fanbase.

"We're a young club with a new audience, a new fan base, and we want to be able to build that across our men's and women's program," Zell told ABC Sport.

"We think we've got this great prospect and a unique proposition to be able to bring new fans in by showcasing the men's and women's games together.

"That's why we're really disappointed to not get the opportunity to do that this season."

The Giants feel double-headers would have appealed to their fan base. (Getty: Quinn Rooney)

The week prior, the Giants' AFL and VFL teams play in the Gold Coast, while the women's team open their season the same day in Canberra.

"We've now got three teams across two different states on the one day," Zell said, as clubs share staff and resources across the programs.

"So from a board level, from an executive level, people have to choose — or potentially choose — which game they can attend. And what you don't want is people who represent the club, or who work for the club, having to choose which program they work on or they'd rather be at."

Just over a month before the new fixture release, AFLW general manager Emma Moore said a key strategy of the league was aiming to foster a "one club, two teams" approach.

"While we're working through the fixture, one of the things we're focusing on is optimising what we can do in terms of the crossover of the women's and men's competition, and clearly double-headers are part of that conversation," Moore said at the season opener announcement.

Demons players enjoy time with fans at Princes Park. (Getty: Kelly Defina)

Moore added they wanted to help drive current fans of the men's competition to the women's games.

However, when the women's fixture came out, in lieu of double-headers, flexible timing was built into the crossover period to ensure a club's men's and women's sides would not play at the exact same time.

Category-one venues Adelaide Oval

Docklands

MCG

Perth Stadium Category-two venues York Park

Bellerive Oval

Gabba

Manuka Oval

Carrara

Kardinia Park

Sydney Showground

SCG

AFLPA interim chief executive Ben Smith said the union provided the AFL with a submission based on player feedback that included a desire for more "category-one venues and the opportunity to play some double-headers".

Last season, Richmond star Grace Egan told The Age: "I don't think I've talked to a girl that hasn't loved it (the idea of a double-header)."

Players have also consistently advocated for some marquee games to be played at larger stadiums after the league moved away from their use to prioritise suburban grounds.

The benefits include they are weather protected, particularly out of the wind, have better surfaces free from hard and soft patches, and greater amenities for fans, such as public transport access.

Moreover, these grounds also have camera cabling in much better positions, which can elevate the broadcast quality.

Essendon and Hawthorn's inaugural 2022 clash at Docklands attracted 12,092 spectators, yet just 3,778 when the clubs played each other in Frankston the following year.

In the same vein, the first Showdown in 2022 between the Crows and Power attracted over 20,000 spectators at Adelaide Oval. Yet last year's Showdown housed just 5,194 at a sold-out Alberton Oval.

Adelaide and Port Adelaide's inaugural showdown attracted over 20,000 people to Adelaide Oval. (Getty: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos)

Last year, AFL executive general manager of football Laura Kane told The Sydney Morning Herald that for future AFLW matches to be played at Docklands Stadium, games would need to attract 20,000 supporters to justify using the venue.

Clubs like GWS feel double-headers provide a chance to try and reach that target.

"We know that there's a lot of complexities that come with this. We know it's a really hard prospect to put the fixtures together [and] the AFL haven't ruled out double-headers into the future," Zell said.

"We just think it was a missed opportunity, particularly in our market, to do it this year, to really capitalise on the fact that we're coming back into the men's season."

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