Women's football is surging in Canberra with the AFL recording a staggering 34 per cent increase in participants in dedicated female clubs in the ACT-South Coast region this year.

The region recorded an 11 per cent increase in club football engagement, a five per cent rise in AFL 9s players and a three per cent boost in overall participation.

It didn't take long for the boom of the inaugural AFL Women's season to reverberate around the capital, with AFL Canberra's junior participation numbers going through the roof.

AFL Canberra boasted 125 junior teams this year - the first time they've had that many since 1984.

It all comes as the Greater Western Sydney Giants establish a foothold in Canberra, selling out Manuka Oval in five of the club's past seven games at the venue.

McLachlan is determined to ensure the Giants entrench themselves in Canberra as part of a 10-year deal worth $23 million with the ACT government.

The AFL chief executive says the league is committed to Canberra and in April said he is "hoping in five years time it's unassailably No. 1" as the "dominant code in this market".

The Giants will look to build on the club's Canberra fan base when they host the Western Bulldogs in a round-one blockbuster at Manuka Oval on March 25.

They will then play against Fremantle in round four on April 14, before facing grand finalists Adelaide on August 11, with a pre-season match against Collingwood on March 1 to boot.

The sport enjoyed record high numbers across all levels with 1,547,915 participating in some format of the code - a 10.24 per cent rise in total participation across Australia.

Women now account for 30 per cent of Australian Football participants following the success of the AFLW competition.

The figures for female participation across all levels increased by 22 per cent to 463,364, and now reflects 30 per cent of the total.

"We knew AFLW would have an incredible impact on women playing the game as it provides an opportunity to aspire to; and the standout is the huge 76 per cent increase in the number of female community club teams in playing in 2017," AFL general manager of game development Andrew Dillon said.

Dillon says international participation had also enjoyed an increase of 25.19 per cent in 2017.

"Internationally we have now reached a record high (170,744) number of participants, with our first AFL premiership match played in Shanghai having an impact in China," he said.

2017 AFL PARTICIPATION

Overall participants - 1,547,915 (up 10.24 per cent)

AFL Auskick participation - 200,138 (up 2.26 per cent) across 3,416 centres nationally

Inter-School competitions - 300,567 (up 11.18 per cent)

AFL 9s competitions - 25,406 (up 15.46 per cent)

Total female participation - 463,364 (up 22 per cent)

Female community club teams - 1,690 (up 76 per cent or 730 new teams)

With AAP