The 2025 NAB AFLW Premiership Season will begin in primetime on Thursday 14 August, celebrating a decade of AFLW with a "recreation" of the iconic inaugural AFLW match between traditional rivals Collingwood and Carlton.
In a match that saw more than 24 thousand people pack into IKON Park in 2017, this year's season opener will look to capture the iconic moment that signalled the beginning of a new era in Australian Football.
Ten seasons on, six players from that historic night, including Carlton's Darcy Vescio, Breann Harrington (nรฉe Moody) and Gab Pound, will line up against Collingwood captain Bri Davey (a former Blue) along with foundation Pies Britt Bonnici and Ruby Schleicher.
General Manager of AFLW, Emma Moore, said the milestone opener would reflect the league's growth and enduring impact.
"Today marks 100 days to go and as anticipation builds for the 10th season of AFLW, it's exciting to announce that powerhouse clubs Carlton and Collingwood will kick off the 2025 season under lights at IKON Park on Thursday 14 August," she said on Tuesday.
"That inaugural match between the traditional rivals will forever be etched in the history of the league, and as we celebrate this milestone season, we want fans and the broader football community to reflect and remember these moments that form part of the story so far.
"We're proud of the growth we've seen in the elite NAB AFLW competition over the course of 10 seasons, most notably with all 18 clubs now represented, as well as across game development with more women and girls participation across playing, umpiring and coaching at all levels."
It will be the fifth time the Pies and Blues will kick off the women's season.
The AFLW fixture was a major talking point throughout the 2024 season and in the lead-up to the 2025 season, prompting significant changes after widespread negative feedback.
The 2024 season's condensed schedule, which included games on multiple nights throughout the week, led to concerns over player welfare and fan engagement. In 2025, the league has committed to a more traditional schedule, with the only weeknight matches being played on Thursdays and Fridays, as well as the traditional weekend timeslots.
The full fixture release is pending the AFL men's fixture announcement, as the league aims to coordinate scheduling and explore opportunities for double-headers to enhance the "one club, two teams" philosophy.
Moore elaborated on the strategic considerations behind the fixture planning.
"While we're working through the fixture, one of the things we're focusing on is optimising what we can do in terms of the crossover of the women's and men's competition and clearly double-headers are part of that conversation and analysis we're doing," she said.
"I think one of the key things is the fixturing and how we schedule those games.
I think another really key part of it is looking at our one-club, two-team approach, and ideally driving our fans who are currently fans of the men's competition, and driving them to the women's competition.
"It's pretty exciting to think we can really generate that passion out of our fanbase that we have today, and make sure that attention is on the women's games as well."
AFLW pre-season officially begins on Monday, the 12th of May, and the full fixture is set to be released in the coming weeks.
