THE AFL has released the names of the 48 players invited to take part in the National Futures Girls program next month. The Futures squad contains the most most promising AFLW Draft prospects from across the country who were born in 2008 and are eligible for the 2026 AFLW Draft.

Players were nominated for the Futures program by state talent staff, national selectors and AFLW club recruiters with the program marking the first instance of an accelerated high-performance environment for those involved. Many of the selected players will go on to feature in the 2026 National Academy

As part of the Futures program, players will arrive in Melbourne for a three-day camp starting on Friday, September 12 which will include various high-performance sessions and concluding with a showcase exhibition match on Sunday, September 14.

The match will be played as a curtain-raiser to the AFL Women’s match between Richmond and Geelong at Ikon Park, with the 48 players split into two teams. Among those chosen are South Australian MVP Emma Charlton – sister of Crows’ Teah – and fellow All-Australians Bailee Martin, Cara Dziegielewski and Majella Day.

From the 48 players, South Australia is the highest represented state with nine, one more than New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory. Vic Country (eight players) and Vic Metro (six) have their fair share with Western Australia (seven) and Queensland (six) featuring a host of draft prospects. Tasmania and Northern Territory round out the list with two apiece.