WESTERN Australia and South Australia will battle for bragging rights in an under-16/under-18 National Championships double-header on Sunday.

The under-16s will take to the field at 10am AWST at Pentanet Stadium in Joondalup, with the under-18s to follow at 12pm, and both games will be streamed live on womens.afl.

So what's the difference between the two? And while we're here, what are the stages of the talent pathway?

AFLW NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Click here for under-16 and under-18 fixtures

Under-16s

This part of the pathway is known as the AFL National Development Championships, and features 15 and 16-year-old players who will be drafted in a few years' time. The best talent from across the country competes at a national level, representing their state or, in the case of NSW and Queensland-based players, their zone-based academy. Teams face off against each other across ten matches in the championships, and nine have already been completed, with the last of the series set to be played at 10am AWST on Sunday. These players may go on to play in the under-18 National Championships in future years when they are age-eligible.

Scroll down for more info on the under-16 program as part of the women's football pathway.

Under-18s

This program features players who are eligible to be drafted in the next year or two, being mainly 17 and 18-year-olds. It follows a similar structure to the under-16 program, with most players representing their state except for players from the Northern Territory, Tasmania and NSW/ACT who will represent the Allies. The championships includes nine matches played across April, July and August. It's a great showcase of the talent that will feature in the AFLW competition in the near future.

Scroll down for more info on the under-18 program and how it fits into the broader women's football pathway.

PATHWAYS

Auskick

The very beginning of the football journey. Fun, skills-based sessions for those aged 5-12 to help learn the game of Australian rules.

Local and school footy

Fairly self-explanatory. Local footy is split into age groups, with the final bracket being under-18s or under-19s depending on the competition. Girls generally have to move away from mixed footy once they reach the under-14 level, but competitions now often have under-12 and under-10 girls-only competitions, as well as mixed.

Representative footy, inter-league and AFL club academies (e.g. NGA)

Starting to move up the age groups, teams can be formed from the best local players to face other leagues in their area. Next Generation Academies (drawn from zones allocated to AFL clubs, providing support for Indigenous and multicultural players) also start in the tween years. The male Flying Boomerangs and female Woomeras national Indigenous program is at under-16 level, with the equivalent multicultural programs called World Team and Medleys.

State under-18 leagues (Victoria and WA)

From here, things start to diverge depending on what state you live in. Both Victoria (Coates Talent League) and Western Australia (Rogers Cup) have dedicated state under-18 competitions, drawn from the best local players. Teams are location based, so for example, players from local clubs in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne represent the Eastern Ranges in the Coates Talent League.

State senior leagues 

The QAFLW, SANFLW and AFL Sydney leagues do not have standalone under-18 competitions, but have reserve leagues at the very minimum. The best of the best under-18 talent will occasionally feature at state league level in the VFLW and WAFLW competitions as well, depending on availability.

AFL National Development Championships under-16s (2007 and 2008-born)

Now we're into the national pipeline. As outlined above, the very best 2007 and 2008-born players have been representing their states or academies in a series of matches over April. Those 15 and 16-year-olds (14 and 17-year-olds by exception only) have represented Northern Territory, Tasmania, Vic Country, Vic Metro, Western Australia and South Australia. The northern states are split into club academies: Gold Coast, Brisbane, GWS and Sydney, with zones allocating players to each team. An under-16 All-Australian commemorative team is picked after the championships to celebrate the best of the best, with MVPs awarded for each team.

AFL National Futures (2006-born)

The best 17-year-olds from around the country come together to form two squads, playing a representative game.

AFL National Championships under-18s (2005 and 2006-born)

The older players graduate to the under-18 championships, the eligibility for this year are those born in 2005 and 2006, with a few 16 and 19-year-olds able to play if granted permission. This year's carnival will see a game played across most weekends in July and August across the country, featuring representative sides from Western Australia, South Australia, Vic Metro, Vic Country, Queensland and the Allies (NT, Tasmania and NSW/ACT). Like the under-16s, an All-Australian commemorative team is selected and team MVPs named.

AFL National Academy (2005-born)

The Academy sees 30 of the top 18-year-olds around the country attend several camps across the year to help prepare them for their likely transition to AFLW ranks. They receive specialised coaching, education sessions, participate in training and play a match together against a state-league side or equivalent.

AFL National Draft Combine (2005-born or earlier)

Before the draft, AFLW clubs nominate a handful of players from which they wish to see further physical testing results. Those players who receive the most nominations attend the Combine (which can be either held in their home state or at a singular national location), completing tests including vertical jumps, 2km time trial and the yo-yo endurance/repeat efforts test.