Season six of the NAB AFLW competition will begin in December this year, as announced by the AFL this morning.

The sixth instalment of AFLW will also increase from nine rounds to 10 plus three weeks of finals, with the Grand Final to be held in mid-March prior to round one of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

The decision to bring the season forward, as endorsed by the AFL Commission, will give the women’s season its own window, removing any overlap with the men’s season as it has in previous years.

The AFL Commission has also endorsed further expansion of the AFLW competition, committing to have all 18 AFL clubs field an AFLW team by the beginning of season eight in 2023.

The four remaining AFL clubs without an AFLW license – Port Adelaide, Essendon, Hawthorn and Sydney – will have until July 9 to submit their applications, but could enter the competition as soon as season seven if deemed ready.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said AFLW was driving massive growth among girls and women, with more than 600,000 female participants and more than 67,000 women and girls playing the game each week.

“We don’t feel that the competition is whole without all 18 clubs and we know from the clubs that they don’t feel whole now without an AFLW team. AFLW is not just a competition that makes our game better but a culture that makes our whole industry better,” McLachlan said.

“We have seen the interest grow as we went from eight teams to 10 and then to 14 and we expect that growth to continue as we move to engage all 18 Clubs and their supporters.

“AFLW has significant momentum and we want to keep that momentum and bring the power and the supporter base behind all 18 clubs before the end of 2024.

“The standard of play has continued to lift as we have expanded the competition and we are seeing more free-flowing and attacking football as more talent comes through the pathways.”