THE AFLW will not return to a conference format for next season according to the AFL's Head of Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone.
Livingstone told the Credit to the Girls podcast that the AFL had “ruled out conferences” for the upcoming season despite it remaining a 10-round season with the additional four expansion teams joining the competition.
“We’re not going to revisit conferences and like we’ve done in previous years where we’ve had fourteen clubs we look at how we split the ladder,” Livingstone said.
“So now we have 18 clubs, whilst we have a finishing order for last 14 clubs, we will have a look at how sign and trade takes place in terms of departures and additions to clubs.
“But essentially we will split the ladder and have a mandatory number of games that you play against teams that are in that bottom part of the ladder and against teams in the top part of the ladder.”
EXPANSION RULES EXPLAINED How many players can each club sign?
The current fixturing system has been used since the AFLW transitioned to a combined ladder and away from conferences for the 2021 season.
Livingstone also revealed the upcoming second instalment of AFLW in 2022 will be known as NAB AFLW Season Seven.
“I’ll give you the scoop it’s not season 2.0 or whatever has been discussed,” Livingstone said.
“This year will be know as NAB AFLW Season Seven so that’s a change from NAB AFL Women’s Competition and we will call it NAB AFLW Season Seven.”
EPISODE GUIDE ...
0:52 Nicole Livingstone joins the show
1:11 A look back on season 2022, the Adelaide Crows dynasty and moving into a new phase of the AFLW
3:00 CBA negotiations and the 94 per cent pay rise for players
4:48 The discussion around the dates for the new AFLW season and August start
6:06 Why the CBA was a one year deal
7:27 The effect of the August deadline on the CBA and creating ‘holistic’ athletes
8:57 Nicole Livingstone announces the name of the second season of AFLW and why it has stayed as a 10 week season
11:15 What makes an AFLW ‘full season’ and what it will mean for AFLW players to be full time
12:45 Could there be a representative series for the AFLW?
13:33 How the fixture will work and the decision on conferences
14:29 When to expect the fixture
15:40 Nicole Livingstone on commentating the Australian Swimming Championships
