The AFL is celebrating women’s round this week.
The AFL will recognise the contribution of many talented women in this year’s Women’s round, celebrated this weekend.
The inaugural AFL sanctioned women’s exhibition match will be the highlight of the round, to be played as a curtain-raiser to the Melbourne v Western Bulldogs game on Saturday June 29.
An initiative of the Melbourne Football Club, the match between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs will be the first time AFL clubs have competed in an AFL sanctioned women’s match.
The teams, comprised of women selected in May’s inaugural women’s draft, will play for the Hampson-Hardeman cup.
The cup recognises Barb Hampson and Lisa Hardeman, who led the way in developing the first women’s national championships in 1998.
As well as the MCG curtain-raiser, SEQAFL Women’s League sides Zillmere and Coorparoo will play their match as a curtain-raiser to the Gold Coast SUNS vs Adelaide match at Metricon Stadium.
The match starts at 11:00am, with gates opening at 10:45, before the SUNS and Crows take the field for a 1:10pm start.
Off the field, the annual Women’s Industry lunch will be held as part of women’s round, on Thursday June 27, in Melbourne.
The 2013 Football Women of the Year nominees will be announced at the lunch, and Youth Without Borders founder, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, will deliver the second Jill Lindsay Oration.
AFL National and International Development Manager Andrew Dillon said Women’s Round was a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge women involved in the game.
“Women play a role in the game on and off the field at every level,” he said.
“I look forward to the announcement of the Football Woman of the Year nominees and watching the exhibition match on Saturday where the best female football talent will be on show.”
Women’s round comes on the back of the 13th Women’s National Championships, held last week in Cairns, with Victoria (Div 1) and ACT (Div 2) taking the trophies.
