Who is eligible to nominate for the AFLW draft?

Under the AFLW Draft Handbook for the 2025 draft, a player must:

• turn 18 on or before 31 December of the draft year (31 December 2025 for the 2025 draft);
• not already be bound to an AFLW club; and
• have been registered in that year in a recognised Australian club or school competition, or have been a bona fide resident of another country for three continuous years before the draft. The AFL General Counsel can waive the residency requirement in some cases.

Players nominate online at play.afl/draftnominations. For the 2025 draft, nominations were open from 9am AEST on 6 November to 5pm AEST on 27 November 2025. Nominations are for the National pool only.

Source: AFLW Draft Handbook, afl.com.au/aflw/talent-pathways/draft/booklet.