As the opportunities for female athletes in Australia increase, several women plan to play both in the Women's Big Bash League, which starts this weekend, and the AFL's inaugural national women's competition, which kicks off in February.

Cricket Australia has asked players to put cricket training ahead of football training during cricket season, which runs until the end of January.

For most players, neither competition will offer a full-time wage.

PE teacher Emma Kearney will return to the Melbourne Stars for her second season of WBBL cricket and was recently drafted to the Western Bulldogs.

She told the ABC, Cricket Australia had asked her to sign a form saying she would prioritise the WBBL over the AFL.

"In my personal opinion I actually think they're a little bit threatened by AFL," she reportedly said.

A Cricket Australia spokesman said they worked with all players to help them balance the demands on their time.

"But if they are signing a cricket contract then we want to make cricket the priority," he said.

"The WBBL is a seven-week professional tournament, so there is plenty of scope to plan the year around their cricket commitments.

"However, we do want them to be at their peak, to show fans just what they are capable of when playing cricket."