AFLW is set for its biggest 'double-header' yet at the MCG. But why ...

When the Western Bulldogs' AFLW side runs out before the men's elimination final on the first Friday in September, it will mark just the third time AFLW has graced the hallowed turf of the MCG.

It's also just the second time an AFLW fixture has been played as a 'double-header' with a men's final.

But while on paper it's an exciting opportunity, it's one that has been stumbled upon in chaos and controversy all-too-familiar to AFLW.

The Bulldogs' AFLW side were originally scheduled to play Port Adelaide at Whitten Oval at 5:05pm, in a timeslot that already presented an obvious barrier to attendance.

But when the AFL chose to schedule the men's elimination final on the same night at the MCG, it made it near-impossible for a large number of Dogs fans to make both matches.

Moving the game to the MCG arguably solves one problem, allowing those fans who were going to the sold-out elimination final to also watch the AFLW fixture (albeit they will need to arrive at 4:30pm).

The AFLW season gets underway on Friday night of the men's pre-finals bye week. (AFL Photos via Getty Images: Michael Willson)

But it also presents other challenges. The AFL have announced that fans who had already purchased a ticket to the round two AFLW clash can attend the game at the MCG, as well as the men's final. But there are few who would have bought tickets already.

This includes a number of AFLW members, who are entitled to entry at home games. On that front, the AFL has said that "a number of tickets will also be made available to AFLW members of both the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide, with the club to facilitate access to these tickets."

While this appears to be the best possible solution to a complex situation, it is another instance of a lack of foresight and planning when it comes to AFLW.

"It could have perhaps been avoided in the first place," said Carlton captain Keryn Peterson on ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday.

She did however agree that it was a "good opportunity" to showcase AFLW at the MCG.

"[Playing at the MCG] is a pinnacle for all players… so any opportunity to do that as a 'curtain-raiser' for what's going to be a sold out crowd [is good]. We may get some supporters with eyes on the game who don't normally watch AFLW."

For Julia Chiera, head of AFLW at the AFL Players' Association (AFLPA), the fixturing problem is a case of "deja vu" for AFLW.

"I do find this particular instance disappointing because of the huge amount of work we have done with the players and AFL collaboratively in the off-season around fixturing and planning," she said.

"The reactivity of decisions is something that has been an ongoing issue for AFLW, especially around fixturing.

"It's disappointing that we don't think about how we're going to celebrate AFLW. Instead, it's, 'How does W fit into everything else?'"

Brisbane and Melbourne played an AFLW preliminary final at the MCG in 2022. (AAP Image: Joel Carrett)

This season's AFLW fixture features a number of departures from tradition, including a month of Tuesday and Wednesday night games that have also drawn the ire of fans.

However, Chiera said the AFLPA was less worried about mid-week games, seeing them instead as an "opportunity" for growth.

"I understand that for some people, those games are more difficult to get to because they are mid-week," she said.

"But the way they have been positioned is that the majority of them are in school holidays."

Citing the Wednesday 5:15pm Frankston clash between Hawthorn and Gold Coast as an example, Chiera said the hope was that that time slot would appeal to "the families of the Mornington Peninsula".

"I am hopeful it will be a great school holiday activity, and with 99 games in the fixture, we have all sorts of different games that can appeal to all sorts of different fans," she said.

With the season expanding to 12 games next season, Chiera said it was important that AFLW found "new time slots" to avoid clashes with AFL men's.

"There will come a time where we have 18 games a week, and we don't want an AFLW game played at 9am on a Saturday morning," she said.

"We need to find new audiences, and time slots that work."

The push to find new audiences outside a "rusted-on" fanbase is being driven by a clause in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which stipulates that the season will only expand if certain attendance and broadcast metrics are met.

Going into the most recent set of 18-month-long CBA negotiations, the AFLPA pushed for 16 games by the end of the current deal, but were denied by the AFL.

The AFL instead put forward that the season would grow to 14 games by the end of the current deal if the AFLW achieved an average attendance of 6,000 people a game, and 100,000 people watching each broadcast.

The AFLW is eyeing off a number of attendance and broadcast targets in order to expand its season. (Getty Images: AFL Photos/Michael Willson)

These metrics are controversial on a number of fronts, particularly given games are scheduled at times that make it very difficult for fans to attend in-person, including 5:05pm Friday night games, as well as the new mid-week fixtures.

AFLW is also played at a number of grounds that have capacities less than 6,000, however Chiera said this was accounted for when calculating attendance averages.

The AFLPA are also looking to secure a deal which allows "discounts" for those games scheduled at more unsociable hours, ensuring these do not hurt the AFLW's capacity to expand beyond 12 rounds, currently guaranteed for next season.

As with the double-header at the MCG, however, it remains to be seen whether the AFL is capable of the innovation and belief required to champion AFLW's quest for new audiences.

Too often it is caught on the back foot, appearing to be a thorn in the side of its own competition.