| Australian Rules Football In Asia |
Article Index for Australian Rules |
Website Links For Australian Rules |
Information AboutAustralian Rules Football In Asia |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL IN ASIA | |
| australian rules football outside australia | |
| sport in vietnam | |
|
Australian Rules Football has been played as an organised sport in Asia since the late 1980s, with the foundation of teams in Japan based around universities in Tokyo . Before this time, only informal matches had been played in some countries. Since the 1980s a number of clubs have been formed in east Asia, mainly by expatriate Australians, although in Japan the playing base is mainly Japanese nationals. There is no official governing body as such, although an informal association named the Asian AFL has existed between clubs for some time, with discussion currently underway to formalise a regional body. The only Asian league with sufficient local player numbers and organisational structure to have attended the Australian Football International Cup so far is Japan , although China and possibly Indonesia may join them in future. The main cup competition between the expat-based clubs are the annual Asian Australian Football Championships . NATIONS Brunei Australian rules football has been played in Brunei since 1998 when a social match was held, followed by a meeting to establish the Brunei Australian Rules Football League. Anthony Rodaughan was duly appointed the League's first president. The domestic competition soon commenced at the Jerudong International School soccer field, with a three-team competition including players from from England , Scotland , New Zealand , Canada and Brunei. Late 1998/99 saw huge changes in the fledgling competition as the country began ending numerous expat contracts. Player numbers were reduced but the league took stock and continued to provide a regular competition for its members. 1999 brought the formation of the Brunei Sharks, a composite side representing the league, playing their first match against the Singapore Wombats. The Sharks' first appearance at the Asian Australian Football Championships was in 2000 in Jakarta . Brunei Australian Rules Football League Cambodia Australian rules football has been played in Cambodia by members of the expatriate Australian community in Phnom Penh since around 2000, when a club nickanmed the Cambodia Crocodiles was formed Aussie Rules International - timeline of International footy history . The Crocodiles hosted other teams from around the Asian region for at least one tournament, but have since gone into recess. China Australian rules football has been played in China since 1998. There is now a development orgnisation called Aussie Rules China based in Tianjin , focused on bringing Chinese nationals into the sport. The Tianjin program is sponsored by the Melbourne Football Club and the Melbourne City Council (through links formed with John So during the Australian Football Multicultural Cup ). These organisations have since held exchange programs. There are also three expatriate Australian -based clubs in Shanghai , Beijing and Hong Kong . A juniors league named the Gobi Desert AFL existed briefly in the province of Xinjiang . A representative team mainly consisting of expat Australians in China has competed under the names China Blues and China Reds in International fixtures and Asian AFL Championships. East Timor Australian rules football has been played sporadically in East Timor since the country's independence in 1999 saw a large number of Australian Defence Force personnel stationed in the country. In 2001 an organisation named the Timor Lorosae Australian Futeball Associacao (TILAFA) was formed in Dili and there were plans to send a team to the Arafura Games in Darwin ABC Sports Factor - Aussie Rules' Global Gaze , although this organisation appears to have disappeared. In early 2006 two teachers from Kambrya College , a secondary school in the outer-eastern Melbourne suburb of Berwick , visited a partner-school in the village of Letefoho, Ermera district as part of the Friends of Ermera organisation, holding clinics in Australian rules football in addition to donating other sporting and educational materials afl.com.au - Our Foreign Legion . Hong Kong Hong Kong is home to one of Asia's oldest Australian rules football clubs, the Hong Kong Dragons having played their first match in 1990. Based primarily around expat Australians , the club plays frequent matches against other expat-Australian clubs in the Asian region, including other teams from mainland China . India The West Australian Football League toured India in 1969, playing a series of exhibition matches between East Perth and Subiaco Football Club s, which attracted large crowds and interest. W.A.F.L tour of India Australian rules football began in India with the creation of the Indian Amateur Australian Football Association in 2001. The organisation was based in Delhi , but disbanded in 2004. IAFC Country Report from Aussie Rules International The potential for the game has several times attracted interest from Australia , with the WAFL proposing an Exhibition Match for Mumbai. West Australians to play match in Mumbai, India by Aaron Richard for World Footy News The next appearance of organised Australian rules in India came with the visit of Brian Dixon to Calcutta in 2006 which resulted in the formation of starter clubs in the city and a platform for the development of an Indian team for the 2008 Australian Football International Cup . Kickstart to sport from Down Under by Romila Saha for the Calcutta Telegraph Indian footy - the 2008 International Cup, Croatian connection and Vegemite Vindaloo by Ash Nugent for worldfootynews.com, Jan 18 2007 Indonesia Australian rules football was played in Indonesia by Australian soldiers in 1945 in Morotai and also Ngada . It is currently played in Indonesia by expatriate , as well as a league consisting of villagers around the Pancawati area in West Java . The Jakarta Bintangs and Bali Geckoes regularly contest the Java-Bali Cup and participate in the Asian Australian Football Championships . Founded in 2003, the West Java Australian Football League (WeJAFL) has over 500 local junior and senior players in the local competition. Flying high in the Pancawati Cup December 31, 2004 The large number of local players makes it the Asian nation with the highest participation rate amongst locals, although an Indonesian team has not yet appeared at the Australian Football International Cup . Japan ''Main article: Australian Rules Football In Japan There are two leagues coordinating Australian rules football in Japan, the AFL Japan based mainly in Tokyo (affiliated with the Australian Football League ) with one club in Osaka and the Nippon AFL based mainly in Nagoya and Kansai province. Development teams from the AFL Japan regularly tour to Australia and have competed at both Australian Football International Cup s to date. Laos The Lao Elephants were formed in Vientiane in 2007, as the first Australian rules football club in Laos. The team are planning their first international matches against the Vietnam Swans for late 2007. Malaysia The Australian Armed Forces (2/19th battalion) played Australian rules football at Port Dickson in 1941.P00102.033 Australian War Memorial Australian rules football has been played in Malaysia since the late 1980s in Kuala Lumpur , primarily by expatriate Australians living and working in the city. The club was initially known as the MARK Tigers (Malaysian Australian Rules Kelab) and the team recorded their first win in August 1994 against a team from the Royal Australian Air Force base in Butterworth, Penang . Between 1993 and 1997, the club became consistent contenders on and off the field in Asia. Games were mainly played against the RAAF in Penang, the Singapore Wombats and the Jakarta Bintangs . The Asian economic crisis of 1998 saw many members of the Australian community in Malaysia return home, leaving the club in great difficulties. The team reformed under a new name, the Malaysian warriors, which has continued to this day. In addition to teams visiting Malaysia, the Malaysian Warriors have toured to Cambodia to contest the "Killing Fields Cup", to Singapore for the "Changi Cup", to Jakarta , to Vietnam for the "Communist Cup", to Thailand for the "Fish Bowl Cup" and to Bali for the Adidas Bali 9s tournament. Malaysian Warriors Pakistan ''Main Article: Australian Rules Football In Pakistan '' Aussie Rules is played in Pakistan 's Swat Valley , coordinated by the AFL Pakistan. The AFL Pakistan has held school tournaments and aims to send a Pakistani national team to the Australian Football International Cup in future. The AFL Pakistan is also connected with an anti-drug charity network. Philippines The Philippine Australian Football League was created in 2004. Philippine Australian Football League The league currently runs a two-team competition in Manila , and hosted the 2005 Asian Australian Football Championships . The representative side of the PAFL is known as the Philippine Eagles. Singapore Australian rules football started in . Thailand Australian rules football has been played in Thailand since the 1990s with the creation of the Thailand Tigers by Australians living in the city of Bangkok . Thailand Tigers Vietnam Australian rules football was first played in Vietnam during the Vietnam War . A match was played in May 1966 between members of the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.Australian War Memorial FOR/66/0427/VN A social game was organised in 1969 by Captain Bill McMahon of Croydon, Victoria , a former Melbourne Football Club and Sandringham Football Club footballer, "Diggers" vs "The Rest" which was played with Vietnamese soldiers in August at the headquarters of the Free World Military Assistance Organisation.Australian War Memorial COM/69/0443/VN In 1971, Australian Force Vietnam (AFV) and 110 Signal Squadron played a match in Saigon organised by Private Conboy of Clifton Hill, Victoria a previous member of Melbourne Football Club Under 19s squad.Australian War Memorial CUN/71/0200/VN Organised Australian rules football has been played in Vietnam since 1998 by the Hanoi Swans and Saigon Saints, two clubs comprised mainly of expatriate Australians . A team drawn from the Melbourne Vietnamese community also competed in the Australian Football Multicultural Cup in both years of the competition's existence (2004, 2005) and has competed against touring teams from the Japan Samurai , members of this team have expressed interest in working together with the Hanoi club to develop Aussie Rules amongst local players in Vietnam. Players from this squad eventually formed the Elgar Park Dragons, a team mainly made up of Vietnamese-Australians affiliated with Box Hill North in the Victorian Amateur Football Association . World Footy News - Vietnamese to export the game back home EXTERNAL LINKS
REFERENCES |
|
|