PENCIL in February 12. That is the day that the Victorian Football League (VFL) Women’s competition will kick off in 2022. The AFL announced last week that the Victorian women’s state league competition will begin the first of 16 rounds on Saturday, February 12, with each of the 12 established VFL Women’s teams playing 14 matches throughout 2022. The fixture will be released in the near future.

What has changed for the VFLW 2022 season?

• Official start date will be February 12, far earlier than the 2021 VFL Women’s season
• The AFLW and AFLW-aligned clubs only select FIVE – down from six – under-22 development players each week
• The requirement from the four standalone clubs – Darebin, Essendon, Hawthorn and Williamstown – is to field THREE under-22 development players
• Indigenous players yet to make their VFL Women’s debuts can be signed as Category B development players

What are the other rules around team selection and list management for the VFLW 2022 season?

• VFL Women’s standalone clubs can sign up to 40 players
• AFLW clubs can sign up to 30 non-AFLW listed players during the AFLW home and away season
• All 12 VFLW teams are allowed up to 15 AFLW players on their lists once the AFLW season is complete
• VFL Women’s players must play at least one home-and-away match to qualify for finals
• AFLW players must play at least three home-and-away matches to qualify for finals
• The salary cap remains at $40,000 for standalone clubs and $30,000 for AFLW-aligned clubs
• Concessions of up to $10,000 allowed to help players with travelling and relocation

Who are the VFL Womens-NAB League club alignments?

• Carlton (Northern Knights, Bendigo Pioneers)
• Casey Demons (Dandenong Stingrays, Gippsland Power)
• Collingwood (Oakleigh Chargers, Murray Bushrangers)
• Essendon (Calder Cannons, Bendigo Pioneers)
• Geelong (Geelong Falcons, GWV Rebels)
• Hawthorn (Eastern Ranges, Gippsland Power)
• North Melbourne (Western Jets, Tasmania Devils)
• Port Melbourne (Oakleigh Chargers, Murray Bushrangers)
• Southern Saints (Sandringham Dragons, Dandenong Stingrays)
• Western Bulldogs (Western Jets, GWV Rebels)

Note: Darebin Falcons and Williamstown are not subject to regional alignments and can list players on their primary or development lists from the open market