The Australian Football League Commission "will almost certainly make a definitive call on Good Friday football this week" with the long-held tradition of keeping the religious day football-free "expected to be broken and a 4pm game scheduled for next season in Melbourne," according to Caroline Wilson of THE AGE. Mike Fitzpatrick's AFL Commission "now has the numbers to push through a Good Friday game after the league gave the concept the green light last year." The commission will make the call on Friday when it meets in Brisbane. Most of AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan's executive "is understood to be supportive of the change." While talks with the Seven Network and News Limited are ongoing, with the AFL consulting regularly with the Good Friday Appeal stakeholders, "all parties now seem on board with the concept for next year." And "it has emerged" that St. Kilda and the Western Bulldogs have been "working closely with the AFL and the Good Friday Appeal stakeholders to present a compelling case to share the potential blockbuster." It now appears "only a strong resistance from a minority of commissioners will prevent a Good Friday announcement" (THE AGE, 7/25).
NEW THREAT: In Melbourne, David Polkinghorne reported Canberra United midfielder Grace Gill said that all women's sports needed to be "mindful" of "the threat next year's inaugural women's AFL competition posed." The eight-team competition "is expected to start its first season in February." While Gill hoped it would not "impact Canberra United this season, she still felt the draw of women's AFL was a threat to all the traditional female sports." Gill: "I think players and organizations around Australia for not only soccer, but other sports, they need to be mindful of [the AFL] because I think it will attract girls to the sport. It is a really appealing competition by the look of things" (THE AGE, 7/25).
