Following a historic morning for both the AFL and the Carlton Football Club, the Blues are delighted to have secured a licence for the inaugural 2017 National Women’s League.

The AFL announced the successful teams that will hold a licence for the NWL 2017 competition, including the Carlton Football Club along with Collingwood, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Brisbane, GWS and Fremantle.

On hand for the announcement at the MCG on Wednesday morning, Carlton President Mark LoGiudice said it was a significant day for the Carlton Football Club.

“Today is a defining moment in the history of our great football club,” LoGiudice said.

“We understand the significance of being a women’s league foundation club and we are extremely honoured to have secured a licence for the inaugural 2017 AFL National Women’s League.

Great to see @CarltonFC will have a women's team in 2017 #BoundByBlue — Marc Murphy (@marcmurphy3) June 15, 2016

“As a club, we strive to be leaders in gender equality and we will continue to focus on providing pathways and opportunities for women in all areas of our great game.

“On behalf of the Carlton Football Club, I also wish to thank Mike Fitzpatrick and the AFL Commission, Gillon McLachlan and his executive team for their support, and for recognising our club’s strong sense of commitment to women’s football.”

Carlton Football Club will continue to work closely with AFL Victoria and partner with the Northern Football League to grow the game across Melbourne’s northern corridor for females of all ages.

“We remain committed to continuing our work with the Northern Football League to grow the game, particularly at a grassroots level, as well as driving strong participation among female participants,” LoGiudice said.

“Our geographical location means we have a vital role to play in developing AFL at all levels. We know that acquiring a licence today is merely the first step and there is plenty of work to do ahead in order to cement Carlton as a destination club for female draft prospects.

Well done to all involved @CarltonFC on the successful bid for an @AFL women's team. Great 4 the club and the Carlton community #BoundByBlue — Bryce Gibbs (@BGibbsy4) June 15, 2016

“Nonetheless, we are excited and passionately committed to successfully integrating a women’s team into the Carlton Football Club as part of our whole-of-club approach. We are proud to be building a more diverse football club as we know the more diverse we are, the more we will grow.

“This is a significant day for the Carlton Football Club and we look forward to further establishing the look-and-feel of the Club’s women’s team over the next few months ahead of the inaugural 2017 competition.”