AS THE NAB AFLW season lengthens over the coming years, there's no getting around the fact the overlap period between the men's and women's competitions will increase.

This week's freshly released AFLW fixture will see a two-week overlap between the end of the men's home-and-away season and the start of the women's, and shapes as a teaser to the future shaping of the competition.

It's also the first fixture created solely in the Emma Moore reign, with the AFL's general manager of AFLW having started her role well after last year's fixture was released.

Despite a number of requests from some clubs, no double-headers to coincide with men's games have been scheduled in those two weeks, nor have the major tier one stadiums been used (outside of GMHBA Stadium and People First Stadium, which are traditionally fixtured for AFLW).

Instead, the AFL has opted for built-in timing flexibility. It makes allowances for starting times to be tweaked if a club's women's and men's sides are within one hour of overlapping.

During the last two weeks of the men's season, clubs who are hosting both men's and women's matches in the same weekend have had those games scheduled on different days to allow for fans to attend both matches.

It's a commonsense and pleasing step forward for the integration of the two competitions, which have often badly clashed in the past.

Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich has been a vocal critic of his side's fixturing around the finals period, given the Lions' men's team often go deep in September and they wish to support each other.

His suggestion of a 'Gather Round' in Melbourne in the last weekend of September wasn't utilised, and the Lions' women have once again been scheduled up north the day after the men's Grand Final.

Gone is last year's contentious midweek footy block, abandoned after fierce criticism from players, club staff and fans alike.

Generally speaking, the compressed period saw poorer standard games as exhaustion hit the younger sides (even Adelaide and Melbourne only managed a 16-14 game), while the rhythm of the season (or lack thereof) made life difficult for fans.

Gone too are the 5pm games on a Friday, which were scheduled to prevent a clash with men's finals but were poorly attended given the difficulty in getting to matches on time, let alone crossing inner-city Melbourne in peak hour. 

Instead, matches are loaded up on Saturday and Sundays, opting for overlapping timeslots during the afternoon rather than 11am starts.

The AFL is steadfast in its focus on community grounds, with Hawthorn once again hosting matches at Kinetic Stadium in Frankston, while Richmond will play its home games at the bigger Ikon Park, with Swinburne Centre scheduled for redevelopment.

Optically, a full Mission Whitten Oval is a much more exciting premise than the same number of fans scattered around lower tier of Marvel Stadium.

The AFL's own ground goes into concert mode in October, hosting the likes of Oasis, Metallica and Lady Gaga during the AFLW season. 

It's a difficult balancing act, given the sizeable income generated to help support things like the AFLW, but there was arguably a missed opportunity to schedule an all-W double-header at Marvel in early September. Dip your toe in the water, build it, and they will come.

While some clubs were very keen to hold men's and women's double-headers, others weren't as enamoured with the idea, especially in situations where support staff work across both teams.

Holding AFL and AFLW matches at the same ground often also becomes a ticketing issue, given the disparity in prices, while the time required to reset the ground and its surrounds between matches can kill momentum for spectators.

Some clubs requested a club v club focus for the overlap rounds, particularly if the VFL sides are also playing each other, leading to consistent club messaging and open up dual press opportunities, leveraging off existing men's media coverage, but that did not eventuate.

The bye round before the men's finals also provides a great window to maximise coverage and celebration of the AFLW, and would have been the perfect period to trial an AFLW-only double-header.

The AFL has gone for a slightly different approach, scheduling one of the two Indigenous Rounds during that window, with Richmond and Essendon to face off in Dreamtime in Darwin on the Friday night.

It's been made clear through the Collective Bargaining Agreement that the pathway to expanding the AFLW season is through increasing attendance and TV viewership.

Hopefully this new fixture gives the competition the best shot at doing so.