AFL's Andrew Dillon commits to womens game

Ahead of AFLW’s 10th season, AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon has insisted that the competition remains an investment "absolutely worth making" despite concerns over stagnating crowds and ratings and reports of an annual $50 million shortfall.

Addressing delegates at the AFL’s inaugural industry summit this week, Dillon (pictured below) declared the value of AFLW, pointing to its broader value beyond direct financial returns.

He advised "we have a big investment in AFLW, but it's an investment absolutely worth making.

"And you can talk about direct profit losses, but I think what's also important when you're looking at a competition like AFLW, are the indirect benefits that we have from having an elite women's competition.

"The increase in women and girls coming to our games, increasing women and girls playing our game, the opportunities that it opens up for our clubs in terms of infrastructure, the opportunities that it opens up for the clubs in the AFL in attracting and retaining broadcasters, commercial partners and just attracting fans.

"I think it's an investment well worth making."

Preparing for the competition kick off on 14th August with Carlton playing Collingwood at Melbourne’s Princes Park on 14th August, all 18 men’s clubs will be fielding a women’s team in the League.

AFLW players reportedly rank as the fourth highest-paid sportspeople in Australia, behind its counterparts in the AFL, NRL and cricket, with the average annual salary estimated to be $87,000.

Although the competition has grown in its size and in player salaries since debuting in 2017, there has also been a decline in attendances and television viewership since the inaugural campaign. It is also reported that Dillon has told clubs the AFLW was losing $50 million each year, with operating costs estimated at $100 million.

Tuesday's summit included a presentation making it clear the AFL considers the AFLW a key "lever" in achieving its overall attendance and membership targets.

Confident that AFLW is heading in the right direction, Dillon went on to tell the Summit “coming into season 10, we've got a really solid base from which I think we'll grow.

"We've got incredible athletes coming into the game, incredible athletes playing and now what we want to do is just continue to promote the game and get more people to come and see it in person and then watch it on TV.

"I think if you haven't watched it more recently, you'll be really pleasantly surprised. The style of play is really exciting, and I'm really looking forward to season 10 starting in a couple of weeks."

Dillon also went on to reaffirm his confidence that Tasmania would be able to join the AFL competition in 2028 as planned, despite financial concerns around the team’s proposed new stadium in Hobart.