China hosted its first Aussie Rules game this weekend, as Port Adelaide Power took on the Gold Coast Suns in Shanghai.
The match cost some $4m Australian dollars to host, and some of Port Adelaide's Chinese backers are believed to have paid three-quarters of the cost to stage the game in the Chinese city.
They also gave the Gold Coast Suns $500,000 to move their home fixture from the Gold Coast to the Jiangwan Stadium.
The game was played in front of a crowd of around 10,000 people, half of whom were Port fans, while several curious locals were also in attendance.
AFL Aussie Rules Live in Shanghai! I really miss live footy! pic.twitter.com/64e1YTG48k
— brian avery (@brianaustralia) May 14, 2017
Speaking about the impact of the spectacle on Chinese spectators, AFL boss Gillon McLachlan told The Australian:
"There's a bit of oohing and ahhing; I don't know whether they're getting it. There's a lot of Chinese here up in the stands and they're gasping, I think they love the hard hits. It's a pretty entertaining game of footy."
He added that they want to stage more of these games in China in the future.
"We want to invest in the long-term and the aim is this not to be one-off. I'm confident it will go ahead and we'll invest here for the long-term."
