From 53k in Adelaide, to Zippy: Next-gen stars to ignite AFLW season 10 as new decade looms

Former Carlton coach Daniel Harford’s eardrums felt like they were bleeding on Adelaide Oval.

His Blues were being belted. Hopes of a fairytale flag were fading. But the deafening roar resonating around the famous Australia ground gave him pause for thought.

How special, he pondered, must this experience be for the women sharking the Sherrin and the young girls crammed into the stands to have created an atmosphere so spectacular?

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AFLW season 10 launched in Melbourne | 02:20

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 02: Daisy Pearce, Senior Coach of the Eagles addresses her players during the AFLW practice match between West Coast Eagles and Western Bulldogs at Mineral Resources Park on August 02, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Six years on from the 2019 AFLW grand final and it stands as the high point of a competition that will begin its tenth season on Thursday night when Carlton clashes with Collingwood at Ikon Park.

Coaching on a day 53,000 fans attended the 2019 season finale is something Harford, a former player with Hawthorn and Carlton who served as an assistant coach with the Magpies in AFLW before coaching Carlton, still treasures for the achievement and the symbolism.

“It was absolutely massive, without a doubt,” Harford told foxsports.com.au.

“Clearly it was not the outcome we were after at Carlton but we were never really expected to beat that juggernaut and it was nice to be there to have a crack.

“To walk out in the first warm up and see about 20,000 people there at that stage — it was a beautiful day in Adelaide and the Adelaide Oval is a fantastic venue, full stop, as everyone knows — was an inspiration itself. We then came back in, went through the final meetings and warm-up, and everyone was ramped up, and then we got back out there and the whole ground was chockers.

“I looked around, and I had played against some big crowds in my time, but I’m just thinking for my players, ‘How good is this moment, when you get to play in a stadium environment with the place packed and the noise is just off its head, and you are coming off 3,000 to 4,000 people at Icon Park or Casey Field in the games prior to that?’.

“They had 53,000 fans screaming against them at the Adelaide Oval. What a moment that was for the players, but also for the game itself, to be able to draw a crowd like that. I know it was free entry, and the Crows have always had a big following, but it was a pretty special day for footy, I reckon.”

AN ASPIRATIONAL COMPETITION REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS

It is now ten seasons since Sophie McKay, a daughter of former Carlton champion Andrew McKay and sister of current Blues skipper Abbie, rang the bell to start the AFLW competition.

As a 10-year-old, she dreamt of one day following her dad’s footsteps when given the honour for the inaugural clash between the Blues and Collingwood at Ikon Park in 2017.

The competition had been fast-tracked — former AFLW boss Nicole Livingstone told this journalist when she was in charge of the competition that the initial goal was for 2020 as a starting point — and featured eight teams in its first season.

If inspiration was one of the initial goals, the potential debut of McKay on Thursday night demonstrates that a competition that has endured criticism has clearly enjoyed some significant successes as well, particularly when it comes to girls falling in love with footy.

“Dad worked there. It is pretty crazy, like it is a full circle moment. A lot of the staff are the same, so they always laugh that they feel old, seeing me walk around,” McKay told the AFL website in a lovely profile this week.

“(I’m) so excited. It keeps me up at night, actually. It’s unbelievable to think that I could be playing this year. I hope I am. That is the goal.”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 02: Sophie Mckay of the Blues kicks as she is tackled by Alicia Eva of the Giants during the AFLW practice match between Greater Western Sydney Giants and Carlton Blues at Blacktown International Sportspark on August 02, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

More than 24,000 fans attended what was a significant moment for football eight years ago and the Blues, led by that season’s champion goalkicker Darcy Vescio, posted a 35-point triumph.

That match was played on a hot summer night in February. The new season will start on a brisk winter night in mid-August.

It explains why the tenth season will finish less than nine years after the first game was played. The debate around when the competition is played, amid regular changes, has been contentious and remains so.

But the idealism and optimism surrounding that night, and that remarkable grand final held in Adelaide a couple of seasons later, have not diminished the enthusiasm of those driving the growth of women’s footy.

Harford, who will serve as an expert analyst for Fox Footy again throughout the 2025 season, became involved in the second season as an assistant coach at Collingwood.

He was drawn by the potential and believes the introduction of a women’s competition is one of the best things footy has done given the opportunities for growth it has provided.

“It was a pretty rudimentary sort of product in that first couple of seasons, but I think that was one of the attractions for a lot of footy fans. We saw the baseline and you had visions of the progress that could be made and the improvement that could be made with resourcing, time and funding,” he said.

“That was one of the appeals for the second season to get involved in trying to fast track a product that was going to be an exciting part of the whole sporting landscape in Australia. I thought about it when I got in, that it was half of the population of the country that had never been encouraged to play this game, and I thought, ‘What is the possible downside of investing in that and growing the game from an AFL perspective?”.

“That is where your growth comes from. You look at the northern corridors and the emerging markets in northern Queensland and wherever, but you’ve got a half the population who, all over the nation, might get a chance or have encouragement now to play a game with a pathway towards a career. Where is the downside to that?”

Daniel Harford and David King Source: Supplied

Molloy's AFLW return lifts Swans hopes | 02:52

OPTIMISM AS TENTACLES SPREAD

Last Sunday afternoon at Windy Hill, as the sun beamed over Essendon’s AFLW home ground, the oval was packed with locals enjoying the first hints of warmer months ahead.

It was notable that there were just as many girls as there were boys kicking with their dads. In years to come, those kick-to-kicks will feature mums and dads, sons and daughters.

Trailblazing talents Daisy Pearce, who is now West Coast’s coach and the WNBA come AFWL star Erin Phillips, and stars including Tayla Harris became household names in the infancy of the league and have helped drive booming participation rates at junior levels.

Former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan told this reporter in a feature for The Weekend Australian Magazine on Pearce and her impact in 2021 that her example and others had been game changing.

“Talk about a story of breaking glass ceilings. She has done it by being good in a way that has totally changed the landscape for young women,” he said.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 10: Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce, Hall of Fame Inductees pose with their Australian Football Hall of Fame certificates during the Australian Football Hall of Fame at Crown Palladium on June 10, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

By last year it was reported more than 528,000 girls and women were registered participants in Australian rules football competitions and programs across the country.

Harford said the best part of the development is the fact footy now offers females a chance to play the game and not just support blokes.

“Coming into competition in that second season (with Collingwood) and seeing the appetite for growth was the most intoxicating thing of the whole experience for me. The players, the staff, the competition, everyone wanted to be better,” he said.

“When you’re surrounded by that as a sports fan, particularly as a coach, you’re pretty inspired to give your best to make the changes you can make. So that’s the fundamental reason why I wanted to be involved and be a part of it.

“Let alone that I have a daughter — she’s not necessarily a footy fan or a footy player — but her friends, all of a sudden, became footy fans. And then you see dads and daughters kicking the footy down at the local oval, which I’d never seen, and it was clear this was more than just a sporting experiment, it was great for social connection, for family connection, and that was really, really heartwarming. So I really embraced that part of it and wanted to help make a change to develop the product.”

THE MISSED GOALS AND KICKS BALLOONING OUT OF BOUNDS

It is not all sunshine and roses though.

In the infancy of the competition there were complaints levelled by a group Harford described as “predominantly older male footy fans” about the standard and scoring levels.

The rapid expansion to 18 clubs has created a competition where there were clear differences in standard between the top few clubs and the bottom tier and the talent pool is still catching up.

There have been issues in terms of the disparity in payment between men and women footballers and the demands on older participants in a competition that is not quite fully professional.

Nicola Barr, the AFLWs inaugural No.1 draftee, articulated some of the challenges in a first person piece for The Guardian earlier this week.

As she noted, players in the infancy of the competition trained at night, in borrowed change rooms, and made do.

But women’s footy found a way, with the introduction of a women’s competition opening the door for government investment in infrastructure at grounds around the country.

There is still work to be done, but being able to offer opportunities for both sexes has been vital in the game’s bid to establish firmer footing in the northern expansion areas with better facilities.

It is notable the league is far more professional, Barr noted, and younger players can focus on the sport full-time if they wish to, particularly those still living at home.

But older players who form the backbone of the competition are, to borrow from the Saint’s example, studying or working, potentially raising a family while playing professional footy.

The jumps in the season from summer to winter to spring have also made it as hard for footballers to find their preferred rhythm as it has been for the competition. Routine and consistency are prized commodities for athletes, after all.

Rules have changed from season to season. So, too, the number of games clubs play. Conferences have been used and abandoned and adopted again.

“You can’t perfect what you can’t predict. You can’t optimise preparation when the target keeps shifting,” Barr wrote in The Guardian.

“We deserve infrastructure that matches our commitment, medical support that prioritises our health as much as our performance, and competition structures stable enough to allow us to reach our peak potential.”

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 02: Nicola Barr of the Saints is tackled by Kiara Bowers of the Dockers during the AFLW Practice Match between Fremantle Dockers and St Kilda Saints at Victor George Kailis Oval on August 02, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos/via Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

The AFL has ruled the women’s competition will be played from late winter through to the end of spring for the indefinite future. There is also a focus on playing at suburban grounds.

Harford is not certain either of these measures is correct.

While he did not mind the feel of the sun basking on his neck while coaching Carlton, he believes the season should be held in conjunction with the men’s competition.

Double-headers featuring both teams could become regular features, he said. It would also allow the national competition to run in conjunction with state leagues, which has advantages.

Harford also believes this would ensure that more women’s matches are played in the elite stadiums around Australia, rather than old favourites like Windy Hill and Victoria Park, feeling this will assist in raising the standards of matches.

“I’ve wrestled with this a lot as a coach and then as a broadcaster,” he said.

“I love the romance of the community oval — it is a trip down memory lane — and memory lane is so powerful for sports people. Going back to those venues, life is always better in replay, so that can be a really powerful draw.

“But my view, for the future of the game, I want our women playing in stadiums. I want the general sports fan to be appreciative of the contest, the quality of the contest, and I reckon you get better contests when there’s less impact from the weather.

“I mean, Marvel Stadium is owned by the competition. And it can host double and triple headers. Whatever it is that the need to do, (it is important) to play at venues offering the best possible conditions. I want to see that.

“While I love going to Victoria Park — I have all my life — but I go there and you look at the other side and there are dogs there, hot dog vans, all that sort of stuff, and it doesn’t necessarily always sell me that this is footy.

“So I think there’s an element of taking the image of the game, taking to a more modern sporting level and showing the fans that and saying, ‘This is a premium product. It is played in a premier venue.’ And then the sport will grow. For the sport to stand on its own two feet, it has to go beyond the niche market and grounds.”

FROM ZIPPY FISH TO HAVANA HARRIS, THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

On a magnificent night on the Gold Coast last year, Havana Harris was among dozens of young talents being put through their paces at Bond University by former Melbourne and West Coast footballer Andy Lovell.

The 19-year-old was drafted to the Suns, who helped her development as a member of the academy, as the second selection in last year’s national draft and will be a player to watch.

She was among five Bull Sharks drafted for this season last December, taking to 33 players the number of AFLW representatives to come from Bond.

These are players inspired as much by the Pearces and Phillips who starred in the infancy of the AFLW as previous generations would have been lured by the Lance Franklins and Chris Judds.

Coaching at a development level, Lovell told foxsports.com.au that the desire to improve was a trait that is clearly evident in the talented young footballers he was coaching.

“Coaching women, it is unique, there’s no doubt about that, but I think the beautiful thing about it is that the girls are so receptive to learning and they’re so passionate about improving all facets of the game,” he said.

“The game is the game. It doesn’t change whether you’re coaching men or women. But in particular, our group of women that we coach here are just so committed to improving. That’s created in some part by being a university club and being in that learning and development environment.

“You go about building the framework of the footy in much the same way that you do with men and the girls want as much IP as they can get. They want all the footy IQ that the men get. They want to win. But their hunger for improvement and more knowledge about the game is remarkable.”

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 12: Havana Harris receives her guernsey during a Gold Coast Suns AFLW training session at People First Stadium on August 12, 2025 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Harford nominated Sydney’s Zippy Fish, who he said had the best name in footy, as his tip for the Rising Star award in 2025.

Having been at the coalface of developing players from the second season of the competition, the Fox Footy expert is confident talents including Fish and Harris will take the competition to a higher standard than the champions who have preceded them.

“Ever since that time at Collingwood, the quest for improvement, the quest for excellence has been there, despite the fact everyone has got to take the time with player pool and levels and education and footy IQ,” he said.

“That sort of stuff was always going to take the time. But what we’re seeing now is that the pathway is producing some immense talent. The next couple of years they are going to set the competition alight, with the talent of some of the young kids coming through, which is so exciting. I can’t wait to see them play.”

Portrait of Sydney Swans AFLW recruit Zippy Fish ahead of the 2025 AFLW season. Photo by Phil Hillyard (Image Supplied for Editorial Use only - NO ON SALES - copyright Phil Hillyard ) Source: News Corp Australia

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