The launch of the Australian Football League women’s league has been "likened to the NBA launching the WNBA" in '97 by NBA Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA Lynx Senior VP Ted Johnson, according to Fiona Bollen of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Johnson, visiting Australia as the keynote for the Championing Women in Sport conference at the MCG on Tuesday, said that "he was excited by the women’s AFL league and that he believes it will help grow the men’s version." He said, "The WNBA was established with a mission to grow the sport of basketball and to provide opportunity to half the population to play at a professional level. Based on the WNBA experience and my knowledge of the AFL from previous visits to Australia, I am convinced that AFL Women’s will both expand the footprint of the AFL’s fan base and increase the attachment and engagement of some supporters.” Johnson said that the AFL having an alternative product that can “provide more games” to promote will help expand that footprint, but also that a less aggressive format may reach new fans as it is “something that is likely to appeal to segments that currently don’t warm to the AFL" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 11/13).
