THE AFL is banking on the brand power and history of two of its original clubs to kick-start next year's NAB AFL Women's competition, slating a Collingwood-Carlton clash to open business.

Fierce rivals since their first meeting – in 1897, in an eight-club competition known as the Victorian Football League – the clubs' respective women's teams will feature in a night game at Olympic Park Oval, opposite the MCG, on Friday, February 3.

The first round of AFL Women's action will be completed on the February 4-5 weekend, with Adelaide taking on Greater Western Sydney at Thebarton Oval in Adelaide's inner-west, the Western Bulldogs hosting Fremantle at Whitten Oval in Melbourne's west, and Melbourne squaring off against the Brisbane Lions at Casey Fields in Melbourne's outer south-east.

The eight AFL Women's clubs will compete in seven rounds (four matches per weekend, with the eight clubs playing each once). The competition's inaugural Grand Final is set for Saturday, March 25, as part of the opening round of the AFL season. A venue for that match is yet to be finalised.

Six of the 28 home and away AFL Women's matches will be part of double-headers, with the games to be played either before or after JLT Community Series games.

The first of the double-headers will feature the Bulldogs and the Demons, who will meet in a night games at Whitten Oval on Saturday, February 18, following a twilight JLT Community Series match between the clubs' AFL sides.

The Dogs and Dees played an entertaining AFL women's exhibition series match at the venue on September 3 during the AFL's Celebration of Football week, drawing a strong crowd and impressive television ratings.

As reported on Thursday, all 28 home and away games are to be broadcast live on Foxtel, the official AFL app and AFL.com.au. Select games will also be broadcast on Seven, with the free-to-air broadcaster winning rights to show the Grand Final live. Fox is expected to air the Grand Final on delay.