Sixth season of AFLW set for kick off

The AFL has communicated a revised set of protocols to AFLW clubs for all players and essential staff ahead of the opening round of the 2022 NAB AFL Women’s season commencing tonight.

The revised protocols have put precautionary measures in place and are designed to minimise the risk across clubs, players, officials and the wider community as we all continue to navigate the COVID pandemic and the new Omicron variant.

The protocols, supported by the AFL Players Association (AFLPA), have been implemented immediately and will be reviewed in a fortnight, ahead of Round Three of the competition.

In summary the revised protocols include:

• Players and essential club staff expected to not attend indoor events with over 100 people

• Attendance at weddings, funerals and/or cultural or religious ceremonies indoors with more than 100 people is permitted with club approval

• Players and essential club staff expected to not attend outdoor events if social distancing cannot be maintained

• Reminder that high density locations such as shopping centres present as high risk

• Reminder that congregating in the home is the highest risk setting and to avoid socialising with other AFLW players and staff in this setting.

Commenting on the protocols, AFL General Manager Women’s Football, Nicole Livingstone stated "our community is facing a challenging time in the life of this on-going covid pandemic. As we begin our season tonight the revised protocols have been introduced as a precautionary measure to safeguard our players, coaches, officials and the wider community.

“We cannot wait to get the season started and trust that everyone understands in order to continue to play, we all must be really vigilant to minimise the risks for players, their families and the broader community.’

“On behalf of the AFL I want to thank our players, officials and everyone involved in getting us to this point and our importantly our thanks and appreciation to all the health, essential and frontline workers who are working so hard and putting their own health at risk to keep community safe.

“The challenges in the community right now are well documented but that isn’t stopping our excitement and anticipation for tonight. Our preparation and planning has been thorough and we feel really confident we will deliver one of the best seasons of women’s footy of all time.”

Delayed since its originally planned season start in December last year on account of ongoing uncertainty over COVID-19 (at that time the Delta variant), including border restrictions, the upcoming season of AFLW will again feature 14 teams.

These are:

• NSW - Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants.

• Queensland - Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns.

• South Australia - Adelaide Crows.

• Victoria/Tasmania - Carlton Blues, Collingwood Magpies, Geelong Cats, Melbourne Demons, North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos, St Kilda Saints, Richmond Tigers, Western Bulldogs.

• Western Australia - Fremantle Dockers, West Coast Eagles.

The remaining four teams - Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney - will join the competition in season seven, beginning in December 2022.

Set to be the longest yet at 10 regular rounds followed by three weeks of finals, season six will be the final one covered by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Image: Team representatives at the launch of the 2020 AFLW season. Credit: AFL Photos.