Australian rules football in Asia
Australian rules football in Asia dates back to 1910 but was only sporadically played until the 1980s after which it has boomed. Clubs have begun in most Asian countries and a governing body for the region, AFL Asia was formed in 2008 to coordinate the Asian Championship and promote its affiliated leagues. AFL Asia estimates that there are now more than 10,000 Australian Football players across the continent.
| Australian rules football in Asia | |
|---|---|
| Governing body | AFL Asia |
| Registered players | 14,769 (2019) |
| Clubs | 22 |
Club competitions | |
Australian Football League Asia (AFL Asia) South China Australian Football League (SCAFL) Guangdong Australian Football League (GDAFL) Philippine AFL (PAFL) Asian Australian Football Championships | |
Up until the 2000s, the sport was played mainly by expatriate Australians, however in a growing list of countries including Japan, China, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Timor-Leste there are competitions running is a large portion of locals in the playing base sufficient to field teams in international tournaments such as the Australian Football International Cup and the All-Asia Cup division of the Asian Australian Football Championships.
There are now several regional leagues including the South China Australian Football League (SCAFL) (2011); South East Asia Australian Football League (SEAAFL) (2013); Guangdong Australian Football League (GDAFL) and North East Asia Australian Football League (NEAAFL) (2014).
The main tournament and cup competition is the annual Asian Australian Football Championships. Played every year since 2000 this international tournament is the pinnacle of Asian Australian football calendar. It currently comprises teams from over a dozen countries contesting for Asia's greatest trophy.
It is also emerging as a spectator sport, with professional Australian Football League matches attracting paying audiences, record attendance was set in Japan with 25,000 attending a 1986 exhibition match at Yokohama Stadium. China has hosted AFL matches at Jiangwan Stadium since 2017.
The most prominent player born in Asia is Australian Football Hall of Fame member Peter Bell (of South Korea) while the most prominent locally developed player is Michito Sakaki (of Japan).
Australian rules is broadcast into Asia on satellite television through the Australia Network.