The 2023 AFLW Sign and Trade Period has been locked in for March 10-20.
As the league and AFL Players Association work towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ahead of AFLW Season 8, the player movement period has been confirmed for next month.
With a bridging draft this season that will see only overage players able to be recruited (due to there being no junior season between Season 7 and the player movement period), there have been some changes to the list management rules for this year.
Clubs will not have to make a minimum number of list changes in the sign and trade period.
Last season's expansion clubs Sydney, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Essendon will also have early access to players through a new Priority Signing Period (PSP), which will run from March 1 to March 8.
A player qualifies as a PSP signing if they have played three or more AFLW seasons and, crucially, a trade does not need to be completed for the player to move clubs.
The number of PSP players a club can lose is capped and based on their finishing position post-finals in Season Seven:
- Clubs that finished 1st – 4th: no more than five players able to be lost through PSP
- Clubs that finished 5th – 8th: no more than two players able to be lost through PSP
- Clubs that finished 9th – 18th: no more than one player able to be lost through PSP
The AFLW List committee will determine any relevant compensation for clubs at the conclusion of the PSP.
Sign and Trade Period
Begins: 9am on Friday, 10 March
Ends: 3pm on Monday, 20 March
Priority Signing Period
Begins: 9am on Wednesday, 1 March
Ends: 2pm on Wednesday, 8 March
