AFLW continues to fight for its fair share of the limelight, particularly when it comes to broadcast and media coverage, despite its undeniable grassroots momentum.

On Sunday, the AFL released its participation figures for last year showing enormous growth in women's participation for the third year running.

Not coincidentally, this is the third data set to be released after the inauguration of the national women's league. Last year's 14.2 per cent spike means women now account for almost a third of total Australian rules football participation worldwide.

That growth is no mean feat. Undoubtedly, the numbers signal the kind of "revolution" Gillon McLachlan hailed before the league's inception, and is proof of the old adage "you can't be what you can't see".

But it's still proving to be an uphill struggle for the young league. As reported in the Herald Sun this week, for example, Channel 7 have made the decision to drop AFLW games from their main channel for the remainder of season three, citing inadequate or disappointing numbers. It will be shown on 7mate.

Reportedly, the opening round of 2019 averaged 187,000 viewers compared to the figure of 896,000 in its historic first year.

There is no shying away from the fact that these numbers are less than ideal, although it should be noted that all games are available to stream via the AFLW website and app, and this method of viewing may have greater appeal to a younger generation or non-traditional sports fans.

Channel 7's decision, however — which Herald Sun reporter Scott Gullan claims came after its "top brass gave AFLW two weeks to show it was fit for prime time" — must be seen in light of the AFLW's continued difficult relationship with head office and mainstream media, particularly when it comes to inadequate promotion and marketing.

The women's game was promised "clean air" but it's had to battle the AFLX. ( AAP: Daniel Pockett )

'Sheer level of negativity' on AFLX

Perhaps the best example of this lies in the much-maligned AFLX competition. On Thursday, Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield described criticism of the tournament as "extraordinary", saying he had been "gobsmacked" by the "sheer level of negativity" levelled at the format.

What the Brownlow medallist failed to take into account was that many are angry about AFLX, not because of its "quirky" format, but because of the hypocrisy of the AFL staging it in the middle of the AFLW season — and on a Friday night, when viewing figures are usually at their highest.

This fact was clearly missed by SEN host Gerard Whateley, who also fended off criticism of the tournament by describing AFLX as filling a "hopeless sporting void".

This attitude, careless or not, reeks of misogyny given there is no such "void" whatsoever, but for a legitimate, fully fledged and growing women's league one would assume the AFL would be desperate to promote and give the "clean air" Nicole Livingstone promised when making the decision to cut the season down to just seven weeks.

At the time, Livingstone claimed teams could not play each other once because this would cause too much "overlap" with competitors like cricket, tennis and even the AFL men's season.

It is decisions like these — as well as the choice to split the league into two controversial conferences — which incite rage in fans of the competition who want to see women given a fair go and chance to succeed.

Own goal creates biggest challenge

By choosing to stage AFLX in the middle of the AFLW season — as well as a "live draft" beforehand — the AFL became AFLW's biggest and worst competitor: ensuring newspaper columns and sports radio slots were dominated by those debating the merits of the upcoming men's tournament, rather than remarking on the huge strides made in AFLW season three.

That AFLX was then staged as a gimmicky joke on which the players were in — with Alex Rance arriving on a motorised scooter, and a game of paper, scissors, rock played in place of a coin toss — added salt to the wound.

There is no joke in failing to give the AFLW the space, time and promotion it was promised. The end result is that so-called "lacklustre" viewing figures are blamed on the quality of the competition, rather than the context in which it has not been nourished in the way it deserves and should.

Kate O'Halloran is a sportswriter and former Victorian cricketer. She hosts AFLW radio show Kick Like a Girl 12-1pm Mondays on RRR and is writing a Monday column on the AFLW for the ABC.