THE AFL will now formally recognise AFLW at its executive level, with a restructure of roles that will see Laura Kane oversee a new-look team.
In the first change under Kane's leadership, the AFL has confirmed the introduction of a salary cap for the AFLW, as previously flagged by AFL.com.au at the start of February.
Kane was previously responsible for football operations at the executive level, but the League's greater investment in AFLW will see her assume the new role of executive general manager of AFLW, health and football operations.
Emma Moore, who previously held the role of general manager of AFLW, will now focus one area of the wider AFLW space as general manager AFLW growth, and report into Kane.
The current head of AFL Queensland and International, Trish Squires, will head up the other stream of AFLW as head of AFLW operations.
Moore's role will focus on AFLW commercial aspects and fan development, with a new team opened up under her remit.
The operations team under Squires will cover attendances and venues, among other areas.
The football performance area under Greg Swann has also been given a direct AFLW resource, with Lou Caluzzi appointed AFLW football performance manager, having previously focused on player movement across men's and women's competitions.
Caluzzi's remit includes on-field development, competitive balance and football data, working closely with clubs as they continue to build their AFLW programs.
The restructure will take effect immediately.
"AFLW has evolved significantly over its first 10 seasons. The game is improving, women and girls’ participation is strong and the infrastructure continues to build. The competition both on and off the field is stronger than ever before, but there is still work to be done," AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said.
"We want everyone to love and connect with Australia’s game, specifically, we want AFLW to become Australia’s leading women’s sport so we are investing in the right areas to support our clubs, our players and fans, as we continue to build a strong and sustainable future.
"This new leadership structure, alongside increased investment in growth and operations, will see the competition better positioned than ever to have more people engaged in AFLW."
Given the salary cap in 2027 will be used in the final year of the current CBA, it will effectively be a "soft launch", with the total player payment pool unchanged from what was previously agreed.
Clubs will be able to either underspend or overspend on their cap from 2028, while they can also offer incentives for best and fairest achievements.
Ratchet clauses (e.g. increasing payment by x if the salary cap increases by y) can now be included in contracts which expire beyond the end of 2027, into the new CBA, if signed from this point in time onwards.
"The new player payment framework has been designed collaboratively by the AFL and AFLPA to provide greater contracting flexibility in the future for clubs and players alike," Kane said.
"This is a positive step forward for the competition and I’d like to thank the AFLPA for their collaboration and support."
AFLW pre-season begins on Monday, May 11, with a pre-season draft to be held on Monday, May 4.