The inaugural match of the AFLW league between Carlton and Collingwood on Friday night was an attendance and broadcast-ratings success.
Figures released on Saturday show the popular clash at Ikon Park before more than 22,000 supporters also scored a combined national peak audience of 1.1 million and metro and regional average of 773,000 on free-to-air broadcaster, Channel 7 and 7mate.
![An estimated 24,000 fans watched the Blues beat the Magpies.](/web/20170204030035im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/5/e/1/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu5h6z.png/1486172986278.jpg)
The five-city metro average audience was 593,000 on Channel 7 and 7mate, with a peak of 828,000.
Seven also said the clash was the top-rating program in Melbourne, attracting an average audience of 424,000 and a peak Melbourne audience of 551,000.
Seven's match coverage on pay television's Fox Footy delivered an average audience of 123,000 across metro and regional, and a peak of 175,000.
The free-to-air network has opted to broadcast women's footy on Saturday night ahead of the first night of the Nitro athletics series in Melbourne featuring Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican champion's presence has ensured that Channel Seven will broadcast the athletics – on Saturday night it will be live in Sydney and Perth but in Melbourne it will be on delay after the AFL women's match.
TV viewers in Sydney on Saturday night will have the choice of watching athletics on the main Channel Seven channel or live women's footy on 7Mate.
The appetite for women's football has clearly escalated since the successful exhibition match between the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne last season, which enjoyed a healthy national free-to-air average audience of 301,000 and 175,000 in Melbourne.
Simon Lethlean, the AFL's general manager of game and market development, was delighted with the figures.
"What it shows is this competition has great legs, great momentum, the summer campaign and promotion the athletes have done for us has resonated with the community," he said on Saturday.
Such was the demand for Friday night's clash that police and the AFL were forced to declare a lock out and shut the gates midway through the first term of Carlton's 35-point win at their home ground.
Free entry was, no doubt, a contributing factor in the demand for seats, but the thirst for women's football was clear to see.
AFL chief Gillon McLachlan even personally apologised to fans outside the ground who could not get in.
What it shows is this competition has great legs, great momentum, the summer campaign and promotion the athletes have done for us has resonated with the community.
Simon Lethlean
"It's a good problem to have so far as the demand for the game, disappointing for those fans that we couldn't get in," Lethlean said.
"We were really apologetic for that and I think Gil came out and spoke to those he could about that. We took the advice from the police and security staff, safety is paramount for that. I think we had over 22,000, 24,000 people in there and that was the capacity. We made the right call. We will now assess all of our matches and make sure that the most people can get there can."
The AFL is considering shifting next Saturday's clash between the Pies and Melbourne at Olympic Park to Ikon Park because of capacity issues. Olympic Park can only fit about 5000 spectators.
More to come