The AFL has revealed two significant developments to ensure the evolution of the women’s game today, in both professional league and community football settings.

AFLW Competition Committee:

The league has announced the addition of club captains, Port Adelaide’s Erin Phillips, and St Kilda’s Hannah Priest to the AFLW Competition Committee, as the league continues to ensure its future.

Welcoming the club captains’ additions, AFL general manager of women’s football, Nicole Livingstone, said: “It’s great to have Hannah and Erin join the AFLW Competition Committee and we look forward to gaining their invaluable perspective as we head towards the 2023 NAB AFLW Season and beyond.”

Both Phillips and Priest have served significant contributions to women’s football, as both players, coaches, and leaders in community growth programs off the field.

The pair add to a rich list of AFLW advocates championing women’s football, joining:

• Simone Wilkie (Chair, AFL Commissioner)
• Breanna Brock (Brisbane Lions Head of Women’s Football)
• Jess Burger (Collingwood Head of Women’s Football)
• Michelle Cowan (West Coast Eagles Head of Women’s Football)
• Andrew Dillon  (AFL EGM Football Operations, Legal and Integrity),
• Brendon Gale (Richmond CEO)
• Bec Goddard (Hawthorn Head Coach),
• Laura Kane (AFL GM Competition Management)
• Nicole Livingstone  (AFL GM Women’s Football)
• Brett Murphy (AFLPA GM Player and Stakeholder Relations)
• Hannah Priest (St Kilda captain)
• Erin Phillips (Port Adelaide captain)
• Kate Roffey (Melbourne President)
• Diana Taylor (Geelong Cats Vice-President).

Leadership Advisory Group:

The league has announced a dedicated Leadership Advisory Group to assist the AFL on delivering outcomes set in its Women and Girls Game Development Action Plan.

The group will focus on actioning the AFL’s vision to strive for equal participation and representation by the end of the decade, bringing a wealth of experience in leadership roles for women in community football.

The Leadership Advisory Group will be co-chaired by AFLW pioneer, Professor Susan Alberti AC, and AFL EGM Game Development, Rob Auld.

Additionally, the advisory group will support efforts to address the gender balance in leadership across both community football leagues and clubs, including the NAB AFL Auskick and AFL School’s programs, coaching, and umpiring.

Some key support outcomes will include:

• Delivering an online “Women in Leadership” series for community football leagues & clubs
• Establishing incentives and/or quotas for women in leadership positions
• Expanding on established resources inclusive of the AFLVIC Female charter and National Female Community Guidelines to provide inclusive environments across playing, coaching, umpiring, administration, and volunteering.
• Establishing frameworks for leagues and community clubs to increase the visibility of women in leadership within their football communities.

Commenting on the announcement, advisory group co-chair, Rob Auld, said: “We are in the first phase of the Women and Girls Action Plan, which has seen the significant investment made by the AFL into community football have an immediate impact on the representation of female leadership in our game.”

“We need to provide the best possible environments for women and girls in order to accelerate growth across umpiring, coaching, administering and playing, all supporting our aspiration of equal participation and representation across all levels of community football by 2030,” he said.

National Women and Girls Action Plan lead, Debbie Lee, added: “The Leadership Advisory Group brings together a passionate and accomplished group from both within and outside of football, providing a diverse range of experiences and perspectives.”

Both the Leadership Advisory Group and AFLW Competition Committee mark recent ongoing initiatives as part of the AFL’s bid to involve the diverse experience, leadership, and perspective of AFL insiders to grow all levels of the game.

These announcements come after the AFLW extended its naming rights partnership with NAB.