The 2025 AFLW season is officially only 100 days away, and we take a dive into some of the big questions as teams are about to get stuck into pre-season.
When does the new AFLW season start?
The 2025 AFLW Season will start on Thursday, Aug. 14 in a prime time slot, with the first game scheduled to be at Ikon Park between rivals Carlton and Collingwood. This will recreate the first ever AFLW game at the same place, against the same sides, from 2017 when 24,500 fans witnessed history.
It's a positive step forward in cementing traditions across the AFLW, with this being the fourth time the Blues and Magpies meet in the season opener.
Six footballers who ran out in the inaugural AFLW match will be there; Carlton's Darcy Vescio, Breann Harrington (née Moody) and Gab Pound will join Collingwood captain Bri Davey -- a former a Blue -- along with foundation Pies Britt Bonnici and Ruby Schleicher.
Harrington played in the first ever AFLW game in 2017.
"I am so grateful to (then-Blues skipper) Lauren Arnell for reminding us in the race to look around and soak in the atmosphere, she said 'this won't happen every year, or every week," she said.
"That first game was memorable and to be honest, every time we get to take on the black and white at our home it's always a big occasion: for this game to be back on the Round 1 stage to kick off the season is so exciting."
How many years has the competition been running now?
This is the milestone 10th season season of the competition, but its ninth year. There were two seasons played in 2022 as the league transitioned from a January start to an August start.
When will the full AFLW fixture be released?
The AFL maintains that the fixture will be out by the end of May.
"This is the first of the fixture announcements and we intend to completely fixture work and release that by the end of this month," AFLW General Manager Emma Moore said on Tuesday.
"We look forward to sharing the full 2025 NAB AFLW fixture in the coming weeks."
Is there overlap with the men's season?
Round 1 will coincide with Round 23 of the men's competition.
When asked about the impact of this on the AFLW competition, Moore said: "One of the key things is around the fixturing and how we schedule those games."
"Another key part is looking at the one club two teams culture build and really driving our fans who are currently fans of the men's competition and driving them to the women's competition."
It's probable the AFL won't schedule a men's match to clash with the AFLW season opener on Aug. 14.
Will players begin pre-season knowing the fixture?
It is unlikely, teams officially begin preseason on Monday, May 19, with many clubs opting for an orientation week (sans official training) on May 12.
What does the broadcast arrangement look like?
At minimum, thirty AFLW home-and-away matches will be broadcast on the Seven Network, as part of the AFL's broadcast deal with Seven and Foxtel, which came into effect this year.
AFLW finals and the AFLW Grand Final will be exclusively broadcasted on the Seven Network.
How many games are there this season?
The season will expand to 12 games, one more than last year, as per the current collective bargaining agreement.
Will there be a condensed fixture again?
The AFL have confirmed there will not be a repeat of the 2024 season's condensed fixture which saw teams play multiple times in a two-week window. This season will only see games played from Thursday-Sunday.
Can we expect double headers this season?
The short answer is, it sounds like it!
"While we're working through the fixture, one of the things we are focussing on is optimising what we can do in terms of the crossover between the women's and the men's competition, and clearly double headers are a part of that conversation and analysis that we are doing," Moore told media on Tuesday.
Will there be games played at the major stadiums?
It doesn't sound likely.
"I think one of the things that we've seen with AFLW ... is that we've got great stadiums that bring incredible experiences to our clubs and our fans," Moore said.