The West Coast Eagles will kick off their second AFLW campaign at home against Adelaide following a fixture change due to current border restrictions.
Instead of travelling to the Gold Coast to open the season against the Suns, the Eagles will instead host the Crows on Saturday, January 30 at 2.10pm (AWST).
It will be the first meeting between the two sides in the AFLW competition.
West Coast’s round two match has also been moved, with the side set to face Greater Western Sydney – which has relocated to South Australia – in an away match at Norwood Oval on Saturday, February 6 at 12.40pm local time (10.10am AWST).
The Eagles were originally scheduled to host Richmond at MRP in round two – the inaugural Pride Round.
We've got a fixture change for @eaglesaflw rounds one and two!
— West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) January 22, 2021
Details -->https://t.co/r3OvJ9bwkc pic.twitter.com/EheGRWVXRH
"We are really excited at the opportunity to unveil our new recruits against a quality opponent in Adelaide, which has been an AFLW benchmark since the competition's inception in 2017," said Richard O'Connell, West Coast's General Manager of Community and Game Development who oversees the AFLW program.
"There has been an enormous amount of work and sacrifice put into the pre-season program and the squad is raring to go, no matter where the fixtures dictate.
"It’s really pleasing that our first game will be played on our home deck, I’m expecting our passionate loyal supporters join us for what is certain to be a hard fought contest.
"We are actively engaging with the employers of our female players to carefully balance the work and travel schedules which are going to overlap through the season – we certainly appreciate their understanding."
AFL Head of Women's Football Nicole Livingstone said the fixture changes gave the competition, clubs and supporters certainty for the early rounds.
“The adjustments made to the first two rounds provides certainty into the early part of the season and allows the competition to remain as adaptable as possible as the season progresses in a constantly changing environment,” Livingstone said.
Further rounds of the revised fixture will be announced in the coming weeks, but the League is committed to a full nine-round season and three-week finals series.
“While COVID-19 continues to impact the community, the health and welfare of our players and the community remains the priority and we remain committed to delivering a full season in a safe manner,” Livingstone said.
All matches will be ticketed this season for the first time as part of the AFLW competition’s continued progression and to ensure all venues are COVID-safe.
Tickets for round one will be on sale from Monday, January 25 and will be $10 for adults and concession, with free entry for children aged under 18.
West Coast’s opening two games will also be broadcast live on Fox Footy.