Another AFLW grand final done and another sellout crowd.

On Saturday night, 12,741 fans packed into Ikon Park to watch North Melbourne be the first side to go back-to-back as they thrashed Brisbane 56-16.

The AFL will say it’s a success: a full venue, strong atmosphere, and the best team winning the grand final on the day — a big tick and a pat on the back for themselves.

But, for those with genuine interest and care for the game, it’s frustrating as we continue to push for more genuine investment from the league.

A sell-out meant demand once again comfortably exceeded supply.

And yet, the league remains stubborn in its belief that a full suburban ground provides a better “football experience” than a larger, half-filled stadium.

AFLW general manager Emma Moore said “we’re not looking at any numbers in terms of a loss of cost thing, what we’re looking at is in terms of a football experience”.

Why place an artificial ceiling on the league’s own product?

In theory, sure, I get it — a reasonable approach for a growing league, particularly in home and away matches.

A packed suburban venue with history gives atmosphere in a way that a half-empty one rarely does. But, that logic collapses as fast as England’s middle order when applied to Ikon Park.

This is a venue that once fit 24,500 people, as it did in the historic first-ever AFLW match, but since then, Ikon’s capacity has effectively been halved due to Carlton’s new offices and upgraded facilities, and an entire grandstand that’s unusable.

Not to mention the fact fans spend the entire AFLW grand final staring at a giant Carlton logo on what is supposedly a “neutral ground” for a grand final.

So are we really talking about the “full suburban experience”? Because to me it feels like a half-full ground is not what Emma Moore and the AFL were after.

When the AFL insists that a half-full Marvel Stadium would be a lesser experience, the irony becomes impossible to ignore given its being played at a half full Ikon anyway.

Marvel is a league-owned venue and one that has repeatedly proven it’s a venue that helps women play footy at a higher standard.

It can also fit the demand we continue to see for the AFLW’s biggest day of the year.

If the AFL is genuinely not concerned about financial loss, then why keep fans locked out? Why place an artificial ceiling on the league’s own product?

It begins to feel like a matter of trust (or lack of it) in the fans. The league seems hesitant to back the AFLW fans, to test bigger venues, or to allow the competition to grow into the space it deserves.

Yes, the crowd numbers across the season aren’t always what they want and the TV numbers fluctuate.

But anyone who follows the women’s game with objectivity understands the bigger picture: clashes with men’s finals, awkward scheduling, hard to reach venues, uncompetitive time slots, and limited marketing all play a significant role.

Fans consistently show up when they’re given the chance, and to sellout the final again and again shows there’s an appetite for more.

Chyloe Kurdas, a pioneer of women’s football and one of the most respected voices in the game articulated the frustration perfectly.

“We didn’t grow this competition by saying no to growth. I certainly believe this ground is too small; in trying to grow we’ve actually made it harder for fans on this big day of the year,” she said.

That’s the heart of the issue. You cannot grow a competition by restraining it and you cannot build momentum if you aren’t willing to create room for momentum to exist.

And you certainly cannot expect AFLW to reach the heights we know are possible if you keep setting the ceiling at 12,741 people.

I’m sure it’s going to take time before we see another crowd like the 53,034 who turned out to Adelaide Oval for the Crows’ 2019 grand final triumph.

But that moment didn’t happen by accident, it happened because the opportunity was there. If you limit the opportunity, you limit the outcome.

The AFLW grand final should be the league’s boldest stage, not its most cautious. Fans are ready for more. The players deserve more. The competition is capable of more.

It’s time for the AFL to stop preparing for failure and start preparing for growth.