Australian Football Association of North America

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

In another first, the AFL has launched a Chinese website to help promote the exhibition match between Melbourne and Brisbane to be played in Shanghai in October. The site is already proving to be a success with over 10,000 visitors from mainland China in the first two weeks. AFL General Manager of Market Development, David Matthews, said the League viewed the new site as a way to generate interest in the game in China as well as an " ... opportunity to learn new ways of connecting with an audience ...". He further stated that the AFL could use a similar approach for new markets, using Greater Western Sydney as an example.

Shanghai based media company Mailman has been engaged by the AFL to develop and post the website contents. The site features promotions of the upcoming October game, rules of the game, general news and information about Australia. One section also features articles written by locals who have experienced the game and there is a feedback area which encourages comments and questions from viewers. Mailman CEO Andrew Collins said it would use Chinese social network sites to direct visitors to www.51afl.com in an effort to generate interest in Australian football. He was quoted "We create content, put it on the website and ... feed the content through social websites in China. Instead of pushing the game at them, we are creating conversations to connect with our audience".

The AFL has had a presence in China for several years, with players and officials from the Melbourne Demons helping promote the game and setting up clinics. There are school programs which teach students the basics of the game. In April, over 2000 international students attended the Melbourne-Brisbane game at the MCG and the game was also broadcast live in Mandarin on a local Chinese radio station, 3CW. Recently, China’s Vice President Xi Jinping attended the Carlton-Fremantle game at Etihad Stadium during his official visit to Australia.

Source: Patrick Keane, AFL Media Release