CHANNEL Nine has ignored a call from some of the AFL's most influential women for the cast of the The Footy Show to be counselled on their attitude to women by an expert from the office of the federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner.

A letter to Nine boss David Gyngell and forwarded to AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou also proposed a code of conduct regarding the portrayal of women on the program.

This follows a stunt involving Sam Newman and a lingerie-clad mannequin that he dressed up as The Age's chief football writer Caroline Wilson.

After Gyngell disregarded the requests in his written response, the women signatories — who included directors from five AFL clubs — are considering escalating their complaint by taking it to Australia's broadcasting regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Gyngell did not return calls from The Age yesterday and the women declined to release the letter of complaint. Signatories include long-serving Essendon director Beverly Knight, Western Bulldogs director Susan Alberti, Sydney Swans director Lynn Ralph, Melbourne director Sue Natrass, Hawthorn director Janine Allis, director of AFL Sportsready Marilyn Morgan and Gabrielle Trainor, who sits on the AFL's NSW-ACT commission.

In signing the letter, the women made it clear that they were complaining as individuals not as representatives of their football clubs.

Dr Alberti said the show was degrading to women and promoted poor behaviour by men. "I would hope that women who watch this program switch it off and that Channel Nine will sit up and listen to what we're saying as women," she told Fairfax Radio.

"If women are going to become involved in football, or AFL football for that matter, you just can't be doing that on television."

The Age believes that the AFL's two female commissioners, Sam Mostyn and Linda Dessau, a Family Court judge, were invited to sign the letter but declined, in part because of the potential that the issue might be brought before the league's commission.

Demetriou has not responded officially to the letter, but has privately voiced his disgust with the segment in which Newman attached an image of Wilson — who also appears weekly on Channel Nine's Football Classified — to the head of the mannequin with a staple gun before proceeding to lift it by the crotch.

Newman yesterday denied there was anything offensive in his actions and said he would not discuss them with the women.

He said they based their complaint on a wrong premise. "That's not my agenda, to be sexually incorrect or whatever. It's just a bit of satire, and if someone takes a bit of offence at me manhandling an inanimate object … what would be the point of sitting down with them?" he said on Fairfax Radio.

He said there was no other way to carry a mannequin, other than by the crotch. "I meant to take a satirical shot at Caroline Wilson, saying she said she looked a bit dowdy in her clothes … so I thought we would help her by getting a designer label."

Nine subsequently apologised to Wilson. In addition, Footy Show co-host Garry Lyon, made a public apology on Footy Classified, in which he appears with Wilson. Wilson has said she was offended by the segment.

While it is understood Gyngell demonstrated in his response to the letter that he regarded the matter seriously, the women made it clear they would not be satisfied unless there was a seminar for the producers, camera crew and cast.

They also wanted a code of conduct that would apply to the cast and would form part of an induction for guests.

The Age believes that the association of North Melbourne president and broadcaster James Brayshaw with the skit has been raised with his club's chief executive Eugene Arocca.

Brayshaw is a co-host of The Footy Show and looked on as Newman conducted the stunt.

One source who has raised the matter with Arocca said yesterday that the chief executive had readily acknowledged that that the incident was inconsistent with the AFL's approach of appealing to women, and the need of clubs to recruit female members.

Brayshaw declined to comment on the letter. "I know we're having a meeting tomorrow about how it's going to be handled (on The Footy Show) tomorrow night," he said.

Channel Nine has come under fire over its treatment of women in recent years.

This year the network's head of news, John Westacott, was accused of telling a group of female journalists that to make it in the industry, "you gotta have f---ability".

The allegations were made by the network's Los Angeles correspondent, Christine Spiteri, in an unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination claim lodged with the Federal Court.

This followed claims in 2006 that then network chief executive Eddie McGuire used the phrase "bone" when discussing the sacking of Today host Jessica Rowe. McGuire denies the remark.

Meanwhile, Demetriou said that significant progress had been made on a special event that will recognise the role of women in the game after the women's round was cut in the league's 150th anniversary year. The decision to cut the themed round was not put before the AFL Commission and left many women administrators miffed.

Samantha Lane appears on Channel Ten's Before the Game.