The AFLW has taken another step forward in its growth after the league announced that it will host a national combine for this year's draft class.
The three-day Draft Combine will be held in Melbourne from Friday, October 4 to Sunday, October 6. It will be held over the same weekend as the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft Combine for boys.
The women's Draft Combine has generally been held as a state-wide event but has now evolved into a national one as the competition looks to continually expand.
Selection to attend the 2024 Telstra AFLW Draft Combine will be based on nominations provided by AFLW clubs. A list of players invited to attend the National Draft Combine will be confirmed later this month.
Smaller state-based Draft Combines will also be held for players who are not nominated for the national Draft Combine.
It comes as the league welcomed a full National Draft in June this year, with all nominees available to be selected by any of the 18 clubs.
AFLW General Manager Emma Mooreย said the evolution of the Telstra AFLW Draft Combine to a national event was another major step forward.
โWith the 2024 Telstra AFLW Draft moving to a fully national model it was also the right time to move to a national event for the 2024 Telstra AFLW Draft Combine,โ Ms Moore said.
โAs the NAB AFLW continues to evolve we have seen more draftees looking to pursue their football dreams by moving interstate.
โThis was outlined last year where almost 70 per cent of draft nominees elected to enter the national draft pool, meaning they could be drafted by any club and not just their home-state clubs.
โHaving a national Draft Combine will see the best draft-eligible players from across Australia come together to showcase their abilities in front of all AFLW clubs both in testing and interviews.โ
The 2024 AFLW National Draft Combine will involve club interviews at the MCG and physical testing at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC).
Physical testing will be facilitated by Rookie Me and will feature vertical and running jumps, the 20-metre sprint, agility test and the 2km time trial.
