The 2024 AFLW season will commence in the last weekend of August, in the pre-finals bye-round of the men's season, the league announced earlier this month.
This information has been provided significantly earlier than in previous seasons, a step in the right direction given it had been requested by the playing cohort.
With their preseason return date also locked in for June 3, and the knowledge that each club will play 11 AFLW premiership rounds (one more than last year) before a four-week finals series is played out, players are in a much better place to plan their lives around the next season.
"After a record-breaking season eight and our best finals campaign in our history, the NAB AFLW competition is poised to go from strength to strength this year and are looking forward to having the players back on the training ground in early June," AFL executive general manager Laura Kane said.
"We're pleased to launch the NAB AFLW season during the pre-finals bye once again which gives the competition a clear window to get off to a great start and build momentum ahead of another incredible season."
It is well documented that due to the part-time nature of AFLW athletes, the more notice of fixture dates, the better, because for most players it means taking leave from full time work, moving states for a few months, or arranging other work shifts around games and training.
Whilst clarity has been given around the beginning of the season, the date of the AFLW Grand Final, and the specific fixturing arrangements, are yet to be set, which means there is a possibility that games could be played closer together, rather than the length of the actual fixture extending by a week.
AFLW.com's Sarah Black reported: "One option the AFL may potentially look to employ would be a 'festival of football' in the weeks around the AFL men's Grand Final."
Black also noted the CBA mandates specific break lengths between AFL men's games, but the same is not in place for the women's league.
If a condensed fixture is to be put in place, this could have repercussions for almost all pieces on the chess board, leaving players with less time for recovery and to balance their work outside of footy, clubs scrambling to travel to and from games while ensuring they're providing adequate player care, and fans will likely struggle to get to multiple games within a week.
A significant issue to note would be the prevalence of injuries already seen in the AFLW, which could increase if players were given back-to-back games in quick succession.
With overall list sizes smaller than the men's, fewer players on the field (16 a side, with five players available on the bench) and a new rotation cap (60 interchanges per game) introduced last season, there is little room for anything to go wrong if sides are to play their best footy.
The ACL injury is also a narrative well-trodden in the AFLW world -- in 2023, nine AFLW players had ruptured their ACLs in as many rounds. AFLW players are estimated six times more likely to injure an ACL than their male counterparts, and the research blazes on as doctors, physios and clubs increasingly seek answers.
The appetite for longer AFLW seasons is clear, and the league has answered, with the fixture set to expand again to 12 games in 2025, and potential to increase to 14 matches by 2027.
Getting the AFLW competition to where it needs to be will be an extensive process, and expanding the season length in 2024 is certainly a positive move. But it's important to consider the AFL's dilemma of managing men's finals concurrently, so it might be a matter of picking our battles when it comes to the proposition of a condensed fixture.