Season 10 of the women’s competition delivered serious thrills, but th AFL should not be patting themselves on the back; North Melbourne v Brisbane Lions; Collingwood Magpies

The AFL calls these “boutique” stadiums. They are not. These are great local commuter parks, but they are exposed to the weather, often have run-down facilities and are difficult to access.

Victoria Park, Moorabbin and Punt Road generally operate because they are protected from the weather and accessible to fans. They have a hill, and if you can “fill the hill” you create an atmosphere that people want to be a part of. Springfield in Brisbane and Henson Park in Sydney showed the way.

television broadcast

The AFL attempted to increase attendance at the expense of television ratings. But it didn’t work. Crowds and TV ratings are stagnant. We need to unlock the magic and power of television.

Sports broadcasting boils down to the four Cs: what you need to do To see show a crowd, a champion, add a character and provide a contest.

Last weekend’s qualifying final between North Melbourne and Melbourne had all four: anxious Roos fans biting their nails, champion player Jas Garner winning the match with her own boot, Dees wicket-taker Eden Zanker destroying former teammate Libby Birch by rubbing her eyes at her, and a thrilling climax. It had the four C’s and was must-watch television.

In windswept suburban stadiums, where TV cameras are set up to capture empty sections of the field, football fans are reaching for the remote control faster than pollsters talking about tax reform.

The NRLW took a different approach, playing double-headers and in larger stadiums.

This year’s grand final, played on the same day and at the same venue as the men’s (Sydney Olympic Park), achieved record television ratings. More than 1 million viewers watchedand there were about 50,000 people there personally. The northern states revolve around Victoria when it comes to women’s competition. Rugby league boss Peter V’landys has proven his investment chops.

Marvel Stadium

This brings me to the AFL’s home stadium. The last women’s match played at Marvel Stadium was three years ago when Hawthorn and Essendon played their AFLW debuts and 12,000 fans packed the lower tier. The broadcaster pointed their cameras downwards and tightened their shots to eliminate the empty upper levels from the broadcast. It was loud, the quality was better under the roof and the all-round production reflected the quality of a men’s game.

Tonight’s grand final will be played at Marvel Stadium. It’s not about filling 50,000 seats (but more fans will attend). This also relates to the quality of the TV broadcast.

Would you rather sit on your couch in Docklands and watch the game being played in good conditions, with the players showcasing their skills, while listening to the vocals? Or would you rather watch a possibly wet, rough contest where fans brave the elements while sitting uncomfortably on smashed benches or broken old seats?

I know where the pre-game fun is Duke of Beijing prefers to play.

Marvel Stadium should be used to host more major games and host the grand final every year. So instead of waiting until the last few weeks to work out whether the league’s heavyweights, sponsors and pre-match entertainers will need to fly anywhere between Ipswich and Fremantle, everyone involved in the season’s showpiece knows where and when the game will be played.

right time of year

I think we can all agree that the women’s competition should be played alongside the men’s competition during the winter months. But there are fears it will be swallowed by the AFL juggernaut. At the moment, clearing the air in the sports calendar for October is of great importance in terms of promoting the sport and attracting new fans.

This year saw the two competitions intersect for the first time and AFLW’s TV ratings fell off a cliff as everyone watched the final two rounds of the men’s home-away season.

Therefore, it makes sense to keep the competition alive in October. So at what point does football fatigue begin? Playing the grand final tonight (one innings between the first two Ashes Tests) seems ridiculous. Too late for the year.

I would move the season forward a month. Instead of staggering the men for a five-week period, why don’t we go back to having all men’s teams have a weekend off in July?

This means the women’s grand final coincides with the Melbourne Cup long weekend. The sporting capital of the world is running with excitement ahead of Cup Day and the race always attracts great interest from Ireland. Imagine an Australia-Ireland representative match at Marvel Stadium on Friday night followed by the grand final on Sunday night.