AFL Pioneers New Frontier in India Amidst Past Failures

Key points:

AFL aims to register over 100,000 participants in India.
Strategic plan includes grassroots participation and talent academies.
Previous attempts in China and New Zealand were unsuccessful.

Goal for AFL Expansion

The Australian Football League (AFL) has set its sights on India with a vision of establishing the sport as a significant player. Andrew Dillon, the AFL's CEO, announced plans to expand the game in India during a joint statement alongside Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The goal is ambitious: more than 100,000 registered participants over the coming years, reflecting a commitment that goes beyond previous failed attempts.

Strategic Approach to Growth

The AFL's strategy for this market includes expanding junior and grassroots participation through schools and academies. Programs in coaching and umpiring are also part of the plan, along with establishing an India talent academy, strengthening national competitions, and investing in women’s and girls’ programs. Tens of thousands of Sherrin footballs will be distributed to local communities, with the ultimate aim of Australian rules being played in every state and school.The AFL has been here before when testing the theory that “if you build it, they will come” – in China and New Zealand, not to mention its protracted attempts to meaningfully infiltrate western Sydney. Three official AFL matches were held in Shanghai between 2017 and 2019, while the first match played outside Australia for premiership points was hosted in Wellington in 2013. Exhibition games have been held in the UK, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa with next to no impact beyond entertaining expat communities and too few curious locals, before each of those expansion plans were swiftly abandoned.This time it might just be different with the AFL committing to building from the ground up rather than simply dropping an elite level match into a foreign land. It helps that India’s runaway favourite pastime is cricket, which shares a bond with Australian rules football. The sport originated more than 160 years ago in part to help cricketers maintain fitness during the winter months, and both sports at local and elite levels are still played on oval-shaped – and often shared – fields.

Engagement with Indian Diaspora

The AFL has also taken steps to engage Australia's rapidly growing Indian diaspora, including Hindi broadcasts of matches, digital media channels, cultural heritage programs, and community and school connect initiatives. These measures reflect the AFL’s awareness of its potential market and desire to tap into India’s substantial population, which includes nearly a million people born in the country.The announcement from Dillon was made at a joint statement alongside Anthony Albanese and Modi, highlighting the shared traditions between cricket and Australian rules football. While the AFL begins to dip a toe in yet another expansion market, it has already taken steps to engage Australia's fastest-growing diaspora closer to home. Hindi broadcasts of AFL matches, the AFL Khel digital media channels, the Next Generation Academy, a cultural heritage series, and an AFL community and school connect program are among the local initiatives that are part of what is now a much grander plan.

Prior Attempts and Challenges

The AFL's expansion plans in India are part of a broader strategy to attract new fans and ensure the future relevance of the sport. While challenges remain, the organization appears committed to making Australian rules football a significant part of the sporting landscape in India. The spike from an estimated Indian-born population of 449,040 in 2015 has not necessarily flowed into Australian rules football at a local level let alone all the way up to the AFL.The Western Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains has already expressed an interest in being among the clubs to play a match for premiership points in India, if and when the AFL is ready to further commit to the region. For now, the AFL is right to take the lead and invest at home and away as it searches for the next pioneers to change the way that the game needs to look in future years.

Source: The Guardian

AFL Pioneers New Frontier in India Amidst Past Failures

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