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The head of the Australian Football League (AFL), the professional arm of Australia's native football code which hosted a historic match in Shanghai on Sunday, has hailed the landmark game in China as a great success, hinting that the match could return in 2018.
The match was played between the Port Adelaide Power and the Gold Coast Suns at the Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai, and a sell-out crowd of 10,118 witnessed a strong, 72-point win to the Power.
In the wash-up of the match, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said the league would review the match immediately, but said the AFL had invested in China for the "long-term."
"We think we've invested for the long-term here - we'll continue to work with the local authority and the layers of government in this country," McLachlan told AFL.com.au on Monday morning.
"But today's been a big success, I'm sure the (fans) would have enjoyed today," he added.
McLachlan confirmed that the AFL was seeking to "increase capacity" of the ground from 10,000 if the match returns to Shanghai in 2018, but said the landmark first match in China proved to be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the game of Australian rules football.
He added that Australian businesses had benefited by advertising in China in an attempt to lure lucrative investment partners.
"Everyone sees the opportunity in China and they certainly see it clearer today," McLachlan said. "People (now) see a clearer path and maybe an easier path," he added.
The league CEO said while he was unsure of how many local Chinese fans attended the match, but he estimated there were two to three thousand in attendance.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
