The AFL has released the fixture for the 2024 NAB AFLW season, with exciting new plans to grow the game across the country.
All 18 teams will compete in an 11-round home and away season in capital cities and regional parts of Australia.
This season will also trial “Mid Week Footy”, where games will be played on a Tuesday or Wednesday night over a four-week block in Weeks 4-7.
Round 1 kicks off during the men’s pre-finals bye week with the Sydney Swans up against Collingwood at North Sydney Oval, NSW on Friday August 30. It is the first time an AFLW season is starting in NSW.
Later that evening, the West Coast Eagles – lead by AFLW great Daisy Pearce making her debut as head coach – will go up against Richmond in Perth.
The headline match for Pride Round during Week 7 of the fixture will be played at Mission Whitten Oval – the venue of the inaugural Pride game in 2018 – between the Western Bulldogs and Essendon.
For the first time in the AFLW, Essendon and Richmond will go head to head in the traditional AFL Dreamtime matchup during the Indigenous Round, which is scheduled to take place over Weeks 9 and 10.
The AFLW is travelling to several regional locations across Australia, including Mackay, Cairns, Ballarat, Canberra, Darwin and for the first time Coffs Harbour.
Josh Bowler, the AFL Head of Broadcast Operations and Scheduling, said the establishment of “traditional marquee games and club rivalries”, as well as the Mid Week Footy matches, will help the game grow and give more opportunities for fans to enjoy footy.
“We consulted a number of key stakeholders in the fixture build including the AFLPA, Clubs and Senior Coaches when determining the most appropriate structure of the season,” Bowler said.
“The mid-week matches will fall during the school holidays and provide great opportunities for fans to attend and watch at home on evenings that traditionally don’t have footy.
“We felt it was important for our fans to maintain the weekend timeslot structure we have seen in previous seasons, whilst also adding an additional game mid-week across the middle of the competition for fans to enjoy.”
Julia Chiera, the Head of AFLW for the AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA), said the fixture promises an “exciting phase” of the AFLW, particularly following the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for players recently put in place.
“The AFLPA worked collaboratively with our player leaders and the AFL to ensure the design of this years’ fixture, including the addition of mid-week games, was as fair as possible and that the scheduling balanced the players’ health, safety, and wellbeing as well as growth for the competition,” Chiera said.
“We look forward to an exciting season.”
Fans can watch the 2024 NAB AFLW live on the Seven Network, FOX FOOTY and Kayo, while tickets for live matches will be available via Ticketmaster and Ticketek in the coming weeks.
You can check out the full AFLW fixture here.