PORT ADELAIDE’s newly appointed AFLW List manager, Naomi Maidment, has been tasked with building the club’s inaugural women’s team.
This inaugural list will be etched in Port Adelaide’s rich history books as it enters the AFLW competition for the first time in the 2022-23 season.
As we edge closer to building our first AFLW team, portadelaidefc.com.au takes a look at how the 30-player list will be formed.
The club will be able to acquire players through the following methods:
NAB AFLW Draft
As the AFLW is not yet a full-time competition, players don’t have to move across the nation if they don’t wish to. They can nominate a state they would like to be drafted to. If a player is not selected in the draft and a club from another state has an available spot, that club can approach that player to see if they are interested in moving.
The four expansion clubs - Port Adelaide, Hawthorn, Essendon and Sydney - will receive the first eight picks of the state-based draft, with the order to be determined at random. This means Port Adelaide will receive the first two picks of the South Australian-based draft.
The expansion clubs with then receive remaining picks at the end of each round, following the existing 14 clubs.
Current AFLW players from other clubs
Late last year the AFL confirmed that the four expansion clubs will be able to sign up to 14 current AFLW players in a special 'expansion signing period'.
Open age-signing
Players who have previously nominated for the NAB AFLW Draft and aren’t on an AFLW list will be eligible to be selected by the expansion clubs.
Under-18 talent from their NGA region
The club will have access to under-18 talent from our Next Generation Academy program. There will be a limit on this category but that is yet to be determined by the AFL.
Other Sport Rookies
The club is able to nominate AFLW players from other sporting codes who have not played AFL for three years prior to the given draft year or have not been involved in a high-performance AFL program. The limit of this category for the 2022/23 season is yet to be determined by the AFL.
Sign and trade period
Following the expansion signing period there will be a sign and trade period. Expansion clubs cannot on-trade players they have signed through other mechanisms.
Final list build rules will be determined and released by the AFL later this year.
Port Adelaide AFLW Foundation members will be first to know of all player signings as they happen - sign up as an AFLW member today.
If you are an AFLW talent or player manager wanting to find out more, you can get in touch with our recruitment team via email: aflwrecruitment@pafc.com.au
