The emergence of the first father-daughter candidate for the new national women's league has prompted the Australian Football League to "look to introducing a version of its father-son rule into its regulations for the first national women's draft," according to Caroline Wilson of THE AGE. The father-son rule allows sons of AFL players who have made a past contribution to a team preferential recruiting access to that team. Maddie Morrison, a 21-year-old state league netballer and the daughter of former Footscray player Ian Morrison, "joined the Victorian Women's Development Academy following the AFL's women talent search campaign." AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, who has "championed the fast-tracking of the national league," said that the father-daughter concept had "already crossed his mind as the competition looks to establishing the new league's rules." McLachlan said, "For me instinctively I'd say, 'Why not father-daughter, why is it any different?' Obviously all these things will go to the commission but I'm sure it's something we will look at." Western Bulldogs CEO David Stevenson, whose club with Melbourne has pioneered the first televised women's AFL games, said that his club "would strongly advocate the introduction of a father-daughter rule." Stevenson: "I love the idea. The father-son rule has been one of the great traditions of our game and it's been something our football club has celebrated over many years. ... I'm looking forward to the day we have a mother-daughter candidate" (THE AGE, 3/8).
