Steve Price has doubled down on comments made in an opinion piece in which he described the AFLW as “substandard” and “not elite sport”.
Price’s sole MO in raising this issue was not to provide constructive feedback to the AFLW, but to tear down a league which is working fearlessly to grow. The AFLW has already shifted the status quo in sport and enabled young female athletes a new outlook on their lives and careers.
In just five years, the AFLW has hit some momentous milestones including record crowds and sellouts. Only two months ago, the season’s first round clash between traditional rivals Essendon and Hawthorn had to be moved to Marvel Stadium after tickets for a smaller venue sold out within a day.
In just five years the AFLW has spurred a huge increase in the number of women and girls playing the game. 7.3 million Australians now express interest in the women’s competition and there are 2,540 girls’ and women’s community football teams scattered around the nation.
In just five years, the AFLW has risen to become the single biggest employer of professional sports for women in Australia with 420 players. A pay rise of an average of 94 percent across all four payment tiers was secured this year, enabling some players to focus solely on football and not supplementary careers.
Source: Steve Price and the men who feel threatened by a status quo shift in sport