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AFL is coming
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Australian officials are looking at promoting Australian Rules Football in the country
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On the ball Ricky Ponting is an avid fan
Australian Rules Football is huge Down Under with each match attracting over 50,000 spectators. The widely-televised sport has a viewership of over a million.
The governing body of the game, Australian Football League (AFL), now wishes to bring the game to India.
A team of AFL officials was in Bangalore, to explore the possibility of establishing the game here. The team inspected facilities in Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata.
Dale Holmes, General Manager of AFL, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory (ACT), said the game has a rich tradition dating back to 150 years and has been the country’s major sport after cricket. Cricketers like Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne were avid AFL fans and have been playing at amateur level in the off season.
“We wish to promote the game here as well as among the growing Indian community in Australia. We have been conducting camps for Indians and among student community there. We wish to establish a strong presence in India and South Africa.”
He said quite a few amateur clubs had Indian players and Daniel Kerr, son of an Indian immigrant is well-known player. “The support base for the game is huge and 48 per cent of spectators are women.”
The effort of the AFL has received government backing as well and Aminur Rahman, Consul General of Australia, based in Chennai, who accompanied the AFL team, said the Australian Government wished to establish strong sporting links with India. “Both nations share a common passion for cricket and we wish to see similar interest develops in other sporting arenas as well,” Rahman said. AFL plans to hold an exhibition match in Bangalore in a few months, featuring pro players from Down Under.
K. A.
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