AFL Women's
AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 14 teams in 2020 and 18 teams in 2022. The league is run by the Australian Football League (AFL) and is contested by each of the clubs from that competition. The reigning premiers are Brisbane.
| Current season, competition or edition: 2023 AFL Women's season | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 15 September 2016 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| First season | 2017 |
| CEO | Nicole Livingstone |
| No. of teams | 18 |
| Country | Australia |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Brisbane (2nd premiership) |
| Most titles | Adelaide (3 premierships) |
| TV partner(s) | Seven Network Fox Footy |
| Streaming partner(s) | 7plus (Australia) Kayo Sports (Australia) WatchAFL (Overseas) |
| Sponsor(s) | NAB |
| Related competitions | AFL AFLW Under 18 Championships QAFL Women's SANFL Women's VFL Women's WAFL Women's |
| Official website | womens |
The AFLW is the most attended women's football competition in Australia and one of the most popular women's football competitions in the world. Its average attendance in 2019 of 6,262 a game made it the second-highest of any domestic women's football competition. Its record attendance of 53,034 for the 2019 AFL Women's Grand Final was until 2020 the highest match attendance for women's sport in Australia.
The AFLW has attracted an audience of more than 1 million attendees and 2 million viewers and has managed to maintain high interest despite moving to primarily ticketed and subscription broadcasting models. In addition to the most attended, it consistently ranks in the top three (alongside cricket and netball) most watched women's sporting competitions in Australia. In addition, the league receives international interest, particularly in Ireland where it has begun to attract a significant television audience due to the ongoing recruitment of Irish stars. However, it was reported in mid 2023 that data reveal a significant drop in attendances for the seventh season of the women's league compared to the first season.