When I moved to China, I thought I’d be adopting some bizarre culturally-appropriate sport – dragon-boat racing perhaps. As it happens, AFL is alive and well in the distant corners of our region.
The Beijing Bombers
The Beijing Bombers were my local team. Every few weeks, they held an internal competition pitting students versus workers. Although the teams are largely manned by Aussie expats, it isn’t unusual for curious Chinese, Slovenians, Germans and just about any other nationality to fill the ranks.
The Beijing Bombers competing in Shanghai, May 2017.
Rumour has it that even the bus drivers are occasionally conscripted in to make up the numbers.
The circumstances have called for a modification to the rules: fewer numbers reduce teams to about 8-a-side, matches are played on rugby pitches and playing time is often reduced in favour of post-match pub-time.
Other than perhaps the inevitable air-pollution haze and the guernsey numbers being written in Chinese characters (to my great confusion), it is a slice of Australia in the Chinese capital.
The Shanghai Cup
In May, the Beijing Bombers faced off against 14 other teams in the annual Shanghai Cup. It was impressive to see teams from across the region, including Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. In signs that the Aussie-monopoly over the sport might be coming to an end, a nearly all-Chinese team from Guangzhou made a solid showing as one of the quickest teams on the day.
After 3 games, the Bombers narrowly missed out on the finals and the cup was ultimately won by Shanghai in hard-fought grand-final against Singapore.
Leaving it to the professionals: Port Adelaide v Gold Coast
2017 saw the first professional AFL-league game played overseas – in Shanghai.
A historic moment, but there were clearly some teething problems. The excessive security suggested the Chinese expected a brawl to break out at any moment.
The lack of alcohol annoyed many in the crowds. The hot sun and the absence of shade made spectating uncomfortable – and that was before they ran out of drinking water.
The segregated wheelchair spectating zone.
The wheelchair access area was, well, less than inclusive.
The game didn’t appear to strike much interest from the Shanghai locals. The small stadium stood half-filled, mainly with Australian expats and tourists. And sadly, the game itself was a one-sided affair. It was clear at half-time that Gold Coast was destined for defeat.
I left early – the final score wasn’t worth the impending heatstroke.
But, for all the game-day problems, China had seen its first professional AFL game. If the sport catches on, the game could see a few more teams and add several hundred million new fans. If the venture succeeds, perhaps AFL will one day stand for ‘Asian Rules Football’.
For a bit of a taste of AFL Asia, check out this video about the Beijing Bombers produced by China Plus News:
