AN UNDER-17 NAB AFLW Championships will be run around the country for the first time in 2021, further cementing the talent development pathways in the women's space.
Given the variable nature of state borders due to COVID-19, the championships will be intrastate, rather than interstate, with talent pools split in half or aligned to academies in order to face off against each other.
Sydney – which does not yet have an AFLW licence – is running under-17 and under-19 girls' academies for the first time this year, having progressively increased the age range of the programs over the past few years.
The talent on show in the under-17 championships will not be eligible for the NAB AFLW Draft until at least 2022, giving AFLW recruiters across the country plenty of time to monitor players and watch out for emerging talent.
This year will also see the traditional NAB AFLW Under-18 Championships extended to an under-19 competition, in recognition of last year's interruptions.
| NAB AFLW U17 Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 26 May |
WA Black 6.4 (40) def. WA Gold 5.9 (39) |
Cockburn ARC, WA MATCH REPLAY |
6:00pm AWST |
| Wed 2 June |
WA Black 3.3 (21) def. by WA Gold 8.6 (54) |
Cockburn ARC, WA MATCH REPLAY |
6:00pm AWST |
| Sat 5 June |
SA Blue 8.9 (57) def. SA Yellow 5.4 (34) |
Thebarton Oval, SA |
9:45am ACST |
| Friday 25 June |
SA A v SA B |
Thebarton Oval, SA |
5:00pm ACST |
| Thurs 30 Sept |
NT A v NT B |
TBC | TBC |
| Sept | TAS North v TAS South |
TBC | TBC |
| Sept | QLD Brisbane v QLD Gold Coast |
TBC | TBC |
| Sept | QLD Brisbane v QLD Gold Coast |
TBC | TBC |
