Traditional AFL rivals Richmond and Carlton are each pitching for multimillion-dollar government support to transform their old home grounds at Punt Road and Princes Park.

The Tigers and the Blues have submitted blueprints to the Victorian Government in a move that could form part of Premier Daniel Andrews' 2018 election strategy, along with a largely taxpayer-funded $300 million upgrade of Etihad Stadium.

Those blueprints feature in a series of stadium and precinct proposals expected to significantly alter the face of elite and community spectator sport across Victoria and, specifically, inner-city Melbourne.

And in a separate development, the AFL has begun detailed research into the future of its new national women's league, with Carlton's Ikon Park emerging as the proposed home of AFLW, potentially boasting an upgraded 20,000 to 25,000-seat stadium, with 70 per cent of that being undercover.