Players worried about impact AFLW could have on ladies football

Dublin captain Carla Rowe at the launch of the 2025 Lidl Ladies National Football Leagues. New research by Lidl and the LGFA examining the public’s attitudes towards female sporting role models revealed that 42% of consumers would be more likely to attend a female sports event if a high-profile player was involved. Picture: Marc O'Sullivan

“You would be foolish to say that you are not worried,” Dublin’s Carla Rowe said about the impact the number of ladies footballers leaving Ireland to play in the AFLW could have on the sport she loves. It will be at least 45 for the 2025 season.

“They have so many players and so much backing, and it is the top players on every single team that are going over. We just don’t want that - don’t want it in senior, don’t want it in intermediate or in junior. 

"I don’t know what the solution is to that challenge but maybe it is something we need to have a conversation around to lessen the impact, because we don’t want the standard, after so many years of work, dropping."

Three days before Dublin played Galway in the 2019 All-Ireland final, Rowe received an offer from an AFLW club to go on a two-week trial. She turned it down as she was going back to college and wanted to achieve as much as she could with Dublin. 

Rowe, who was speaking at the launch of the Lidl Ladies National Football Leagues, understands the opportunity playing in the AFLW affords those who have signed deals.

"Players are getting that experience of a professional/semi-professional sport," she said.

"They are not juggling work and training in the evenings; even the cost that comes with playing inter-county is probably a big factor for young girls.” 

One of those heading to Australia for the new season will be Kerry’s Kayleigh Cronin, a key player for the Kingdom last year as they won a first All-Ireland title since 1993. She had turned down several offers in previous years. The 28-year-old has signed with Adelaide Crows, joining fellow Irish players Niamh Kelly, Grace Kelly and Amy Boyle Carr in their squad.

Cronin told the GPA’s The Players Voice podcast in December that an announcement of her signing was delayed as she was in discussions to be allowed play for Kerry until the end of this year's championship. 

“She's training away hard with us at the moment,” said Kerry teammate Síofra O’Shea, “just like the rest of us and putting her whole life into Kerry ladies football. Whatever happens down the line, we wish her the best in Australia. I think she'll be massively suited to it and she's an unbelievable athlete.

“If you look at league finals that we've won, All-Ireland finals, who's been the player of the match? Kayleigh Cronin. She shows up on the big days but she's like that every day of training. She's such a leader in that group, just such a great voice around the place, teaches other people.” 

Galway's Nicola Ward also understands the opportunity the AFLW provides but simultaneously feels, "if a top player was taken from my team, I wouldn't be happy".

The new AFLW season gets underway on August 11 while this year’s All-Ireland final takes place just eight days earlier. The AFLW’s expansion in terms of teams and games means the possibility Irish players could double dip -  play championship and then Aussie rules - is becoming smaller. Last year, the AFLW season got underway nearly three weeks later than the upcoming one. 

“It is going to have an impact on our game and that is where my worry is with it, because their season is now encroaching on our season,” said Rowe.

“It was fine when it was county season and Australia had their season, but now the AFL have the numbers and the backing - they can now move the season, which they have done. 

"That will make our players make choices, and that is not nice for players. We have Jen Dunne over there and we will wait and give time but you don’t want someone to make a choice, they don’t want to make a choice but that is what it is coming down to.”