The 2021 AFL Women's draft consists of the various periods when the 14 clubs in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...

competition can recruit players prior to the competition's 2022 season.

Special assistance

In May 2021, just before the draft period began, the AFL Commission approved special draft and signing assistance to the , , , and to support the strengthening of their playing lists in line with the competition's leading clubs. As a condition of receiving assistance, the clubs were required to use at least five selections at the upcoming draft.

Signing and trading period

Players can be signed for one or two year contracts. The trade period opened on 31 May 2021 and will close on 9 June 2021. Players can be re-signed until 16 June 2021.

Retirements and delistings

Trades

Delisted free agency

The delisted free agency period will close on 25 June 2021.

Rookie signings

In the absence of a rookie draft, each club was permitted to sign players that had not played Australian rules football within the previous three years or been involved in an AFLW high-performance program.

Inactive players

Following final list lodgements, a number of players experienced changing circumstances that made them unable to participate in the 2022 season. Clubs were granted permission to place these players on an inactive list, gaining end of draft selections to replace them for the one season. Players on each club's inactive list ahead of the 2022 season are listed below:

Draft

Free agency and replacement signings

Where players were moved to inactive list after the draft had taken place, club were entitled to replace them by free agency signing.

Train on players

Where multiple players were ruled unable to play due to

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

related health and safety protocols, clubs were entitled to field up to five train on players to enable them to field a full side.

References

{{AFL Women's drafts AFL Women's draft 2021 AFL Women's season AFL Women's draft