The AFL has committed to fund an independent review of AFLW, focusing on the unique challenges posed to elite female footballers.

The Age can reveal the league's promise to pump money into a review was one of a handful of revisions to the collective bargaining agreement offer which initially failed to get the requisite support from AFLW players.

The first-round draft picks take a selfie after being selected by their new AFLW clubs last week. Getty Images

Voting on the amended CBA offer closed on Sunday with the AFL Players' Association set to release results early this week.

The AFLPA requires 75 per cent of players to accept the proposal for a deal between the league and union to be signed. Only 70 per cent voted in favour of the offer put forward earlier this month.

The voting dynamics have changed since the earlier poll, with the addition of around 100 new players taken at last week's AFLW draft.

While players have broadly been keen for the league to expand to 13 rounds, the AFL was unwilling to budge on its earlier offer of season lengths for the next three seasons: eight home-and-away rounds plus three weeks of finals in 2020, nine plus three in 2021 and 10 plus three for 2022.

Both the AFL and PA have indicated a desire to help grow AFLW steadily. The bodies have been working on a joint vision document for the future of the game.

It has also emerged that player representatives pushed hard for the league to investigate the difficulties faced by AFLW players in the pursuit of allowing a diverse playing cohort to thrive long-term.

A document sent to AFLW players by the PA last week outlined the plan for the review.

"The AFL will fund an independent review of AFLW, to be commissioned by the AFLPA and the players," the PA said.

"The review will aim to identify and quantify the challenges faced by AFLW players and identify opportunities for improvement so that AFLW players, and AFLW itself, can thrive. The AFLPA will work with players to determine the scope and terms of reference of the review, which will be agreed with the AFL."

Sources close to the discussions said the review had been largely driven by players. Just who will conduct the review remains to be seen. The labeling of the review has also been a private point of discussion with sources describing it unofficially as a "gender equity review".

Other changes to the CBA offer include improved prizemoney, advanced notice of key dates, and a requirement that players receive their first payments no later than the 15th of the month in which pre-season starts.

Following the vote at the start of the month, the AFLPA held meetings with players from the four clubs – Geelong, Greater Western Sydney, St Kilda and Carlton – who had a majority of players vote against the deal.

A breakthrough came following a meeting of players, AFL and PA heavies early last week at which an in-principle agreement for the new CBA offer was reached. Pre-season is due to begin next month.