AFL warned to identify fans of women's league before 'novelty' wears off after first few seasons
Lauren Arnell of the Bulldogs was tackled by Bree White of the Demons during an exhibition match. (Getty Images: Michael Dodge)
The AFL needs to make sure its women's league can hold onto fans when the "novelty" starts to dwindle after the first few seasons, one of the people behind the United States' top female sporting competition says.
The AFL women's competition was launched earlier this year amid much hype and excitement from clubs, administrators and fans.
The interest around the league started to build when the AFL scheduled double-headers with the men's competition and exhibition matches.
The United States had a similar realisation about women's sport in the 1990s with the creation of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Connection to a league for women
Ted Johnson has worked extensively in the past decade with WNBA powerhouse Minnesota Lynx.
Speaking at a conference in Melbourne, he warned it was important to identify fans early and to understand what would keep them coming back.
"Those first couple of years celebrate it, enjoy it, but be prepared for year three as interest may begin to drop off," he said.
"Who are the fans who are there as a novelty to check it out, versus who are the fans who are really there because they believe in it."
The Minnesota Lynx have won three WNBA championships in the past six years and believe the key to connecting with female fans is to market the game differently.
Simply re-packaging the men's game was not the answer.
"The WNBA Is not about high-flying dunks and individual achievement — it's about a team concept, it's more of a we, than me," Mr Johnson said.
He said they found the female audience wanted a deeper connection with their team with a focus on more than just results.
"It's not just about the game," he said.
"They want to understand that the team is connected to a larger mission of building a league for women, that we are acknowledging and inspiring women."
Significant step forward for women's sport
The first season of the AFL women's competition will be a short one — seven matches played in February and March — but the AFL has indicated it hoped to expand that once it finds its feet.
The next 12 months could see another significant step forward for women's sport in Australia.
A revamped national netball competition will see new teams, full-time wages for players and matches broadcast free-to-air for the next five years.
Cricket will hope to build on the momentum of the success of last summer's inaugural Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) which drew strong television audiences and crowds.
The W-League also revealed some of its games would be broadcast in the US.
But basketball seems to be the odd one out, with the WBNL struggling for relevance after its decades-long television deal with the ABC ended.