The AFLW season kicks off tonight with a traditional season opener between Carlton and Collingwood at 7.15pm (AEST).
It is the code’s 10th season and the first to feature a 12-round regular season over 12 weeks, followed by four weeks of finals.
You can watch the AFLW on Channel 7, Foxtel, or Kayo.
Here’s what to know.
Context
In previous seasons, the AFLW scheduled midweek games to condense the season.
This meant players were becoming more fatigued and susceptible to injury closer to finals.
This season is also the first to overlap with the AFL. Organisers hope the overlap will give AFLW teams a better chance of engaging fans who are already watching football.
The AFLW Grand Final will be held on Saturday 29 November.
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Frontrunners
The reigning premiers are the North Melbourne Kangaroos, who secured their first premiership last year with a 39-9 victory over the Brisbane Lions in the grand final.
The Kangaroos went through the 2024 season undefeated and will have a target on their back as premiership favourites this season.
Brisbane has played in the past three grand finals and will also be expecting to contend for the title again this year.
Other threats to the Kangaroos’ supremacy include Hawthorn, who finished second on the ladder last season, and the Adelaide Crows, who have won three AFLW titles and also finished in the top four last year.
Challenges
After reports that the league was losing $50 million a year in July, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said: “We have a big investment in AFLW, but it’s an investment absolutely worth making."
Dillon pointed to the indirect benefits, adding: “Increasing women and girls playing our game [opens up] opportunities for our clubs in terms of infrastructure... attracting and retaining broadcasters, commercial partners and just attracting fans.”
