And in true \u2018W fashion, the AFLW brought its beloved community along with it.<\/p>\n
Anyone who has ventured down to a game in the past decade knows this feeling all too well. The league comes by its \u201ccountry footy\u201d comparison honestly. Game day brings the promise of familiar faces, from close acquaintances to AFLW regulars, and if you don\u2019t bump into anyone you know, you get the distinct feeling that this could change at any moment. The players linger, chat, sign, selfie and shmooze long after the siren has sounded and the song has been sung. The gap between playing group and fanbase is virtually nonexistent, and shrinking by the day.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the suburban grounds they call home didn\u2019t cause this. After all, women\u2019s sports crowds have always operated a little differently, attracting folks who feel excluded from traditional men\u2019s sports spaces. This distinct character may well have emerged regardless. But for all their faults and quirks, these grounds provided space for this community to find each other, and flourish into what we see today.<\/p>\n
Winners, grinners: Carlton players after their win over St Kilda on Sunday. Photograph: Morgan Hancock\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Transplanting that community feel to a stadium setting was always going to be the biggest challenge of these double-headers. And if you only caught the start of the broadcast, it could easily seem like they missed the mark. The lower levels sat mostly empty, with pockets of fans scattered around the stadium. The AFL\u2019s concerns over how the crowd would look appeared well founded.<\/p>\n
But from a distance, everything looks a little different.<\/p>\n
Up close, if you sat in among the fans, a different picture emerged. That good old AFLW familiarity was alive and well. It was the same eclectic crew you\u2019d encounter at the local grounds, just in a different setting \u2013 like bumping into your English teacher at the supermarket. The vocal coaching from the sidelines was just as passionate, and the crowd made enough noise for double their number. And there seemed to be just as many young families as at regular AFLW games, even without the beloved extra space to run around.<\/p>\n
St Kilda\u2019s Amber Clarke celebrates a brilliant goal at Marvel Stadium. Photograph: Rob Prezioso\/AAP<\/p>\n
At the same time, there was a clear influx of newcomers. While the crowd at early doors was predominantly clustered on the top level in the general admission seats, the lower-level reserved seats began to fill up as fans trickled in throughout the women\u2019s game. By the final quarter, the crowd was pushing 18,000. Whether on purpose or by consequence, these fans were exposed to the AFLW experience: both the community and the footy alike. The AFL\u2019s gamble felt vindicated.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the empty spaces didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n
They certainly made the most of the space out on the ground, too. From the very first ball-up, it became clear that the game would be fought and won based on who could adapt more quickly to the extra room; a feat made all the more apparent by how little wriggle room was enjoyed just last week, up at North Sydney Oval for the Australia v Ireland game<\/a>. For all the discourse, it was a timely reminder that at the end of the day, it\u2019s about the footy.<\/p>\n And the footy certainly had its moments.<\/p>\n
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