Carlton, Collingwood, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs have beaten Richmond, Geelong, North Melbourne and St Kilda in the competitive bid for Victorian licences. The number of women and girls playing football has doubled over the past five years. Credit:Getty Images The Cats put their knockback down to the strength of the talent pool in their region - a pool they are committed to now growing - while the Tigers pointed to their track record in promoting gender diversity. St Kilda, North Melbourne and West Coast also made their disappointment clear, saying they remained committed to helping advance the game for women in their areas. Geelong chief executive Brian Cook said the Cats put a lot of work into their proposals but "we weren't exactly sure of the criteria".

"You feel a bit disappointed because of that but to be fair, there were only so many licences. Thirteen into eight doesn't go and that's fine, we understand that," Cook said. "The reason we didn't get a team up was because the AFL have a belief that there is probably only a handful of players in our region who'd be in the best 200 in Australia. "They were concerned about the competitiveness of a side we would put together in year one and so this now allows us 12 months to develop women's football in the region. "We'll certainly partner with the AFL in doing that, but we'll also partner AFL Barwon and North Geelong footy club and women's football groups in the area. "We'll do it together in order to enter the competition, hopefully, in 2018."

Outside of Victoria, Fremantle's submission got the nod from the AFL Commission ahead of West Coast. Greater Western Sydney, the Brisbane Lions and an Adelaide-Northern Territory team round out the foundation sides that Fairfax Media revealed before the official unveiling by AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick and league CEO Gillon McLachlan at the MCG on Wednesday. The league received more than a dozen submissions and while Carlton are said to have put forward a compelling case, there was a genuine sense of surprise among rival clubs when the Blues emerged successful. Carlton's hierarchy admits it lags significantly behind the AFL competition in terms of its female membership, which is understood to be under 30 per cent. But the Blues are pushing to change this and, after consulting widely in preparing their pitch for a women's team, have campaigned consistently on the topic.

The five unsuccessful clubs that pitched – Geelong, Richmond, St Kilda, North Melbourne and the Eagles – have provisional licences for entry to the competition, at a date to be stipulated by the AFL. The Saints, who were the first club in VFL/AFL history to add a woman – Peta Searle – to their coaching list, were among many that employed external consultants to help with their bid. Richmond, which has the AFL's only female president in Peggy O'Neal, pitched around the unique facilities and work the club has done around Indigenous footballers. The Tigers also commissioned and produced a landmark gender report, the findings of which they have implemented in recent years in pursuit of gender equality. Fitzpatrick and McLachlan made the formal announcement surrounded by half a dozen top female footballers.

The AFL chairman said the number of women and girls playing football had doubled over the past five years – it was a revolution. He thanked all those who had worked to turn a "bold plan" into a reality. "A fully-fledged national competition, the best women in the country will grace AFL grounds, wearing AFL club jumpers, representing immensely proud and passionate tribes," he said. He said great women players would become role models and heroes for the next generation of footballers. "Our game will never be the same," he said.

Fitzpatrick said all 13 submissions had been outstanding and he was delighted at the enthusiasm shown by the clubs. Those that missed out on a women's team would be part of the newly formed league in the future.



Composition of the competition Western Bulldogs Melbourne

Collingwood Carlton Greater Western Sydney Adelaide-Northern Territory Fremantle

Brisbane Lions

Unsuccessful Geelong Richmond North Melbourne