Players consulted on hubs for AFLW

THE prospect of using quarantine hubs for the 2021 AFL Women’s season has been put directly to players.

The AFL Players’ Association on Tuesday issued a survey to more than 400 AFLW players to seek feedback on a range of topics, including whether they are open to moving into quarantine hubs such as those used in the men’s season.

The hurdles to hubs are far greater in the women’s game, given the vast majority of players also work full or part-time or study as well as playing.

As players prepare to return to training, they have been canvassed on their willingness to enter hubs, and for how long, with options of as little as a fortnight or for the entire season put forward to gauge interest before the union forms its position. AFLL Women’s players have been granted an exemption under a highperformance athlete category to train in small groups from next week, in voluntary sessions before the pre-season begin son November 4.

AFLW chief Nicole Livingstone, pictured, said the league “wouldn’t be doing our job properly” if hub setups such as those in the men’ s competition were not at least considered for the 2021 season, which will begin in February, with the AFL drawing on its own experience along with that of WBBL,NRLW and net ball.

“High performance centres need to be one of the things that we do consider,” Livingstone said. “It doesn’t mean that we will land there. But we wouldn’t be doing our job properly or doing our due diligence if we weren’t exploring the way that sport is being delivered in a COVID world .”