Richmond, GWS Giants planning to play in India for premiership points next yearMICHAEL WARNER,
Herald Sun
24 June 2017RICHMOND and Greater Western Sydney are pushing to play a game for premiership points in India next season.
The historic match would likely be played at the 30,000-seat DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai during the mid-season bye rounds.
AFL chiefs have been briefed on the proposal that would gazump a plan by Essendon and Adelaide — revealed in Friday’s Herald Sun — to stage a pre-season or exhibition game on the subcontinent.
The Tigers-Giants clash on Indian soil will be fixtured as a GWS home game to ensure Richmond’s army of supporters are not robbed of a match in Melbourne.
“Both clubs have the ambition to play for premiership points in Mumbai as early as next year,” Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale confirmed.
“Clearly, there is a lot of work to be done to make this a reality, but we are absolutely committed to working with the Giants.
Indian great Rahul Dravid with Richmond captain Trent Cotchin.
“India is a massive market and the commercial implications in the mid-to-long term could be very significant, so as a business we need to genuinely explore the opportunity.
“A game in India for four points would be a serious statement of intent and a foundation for us to build on.”
A Giants spokesman said: “We are aware there is a significant amount of work to do before the ambition of playing an AFL game for points in India can be realised, but we look forward to continuing talks with the AFL and the Tigers.
“Indian-born migrants are the third largest population group in Sydney, with many settling in Western Sydney.”
Richmond has already established a significant ambassadorial network in India, including Bollywood stars, key political figures and Indian cricketers Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli.
Discussions with the AFL will continue ahead of the preparation for next year’s AFL fixture.
Richmond sees the Tiger — a secular symbol in India — as a selling point.
Representation of AFL clubs from Sydney and Melbourne is also seen as an advantage.
“At the invitation of Austrade, club representatives have travelled to India a number of times and that included identifying a potential venue in Mumbai that could host a game,” Gale said.
“We were also part of a State Government trade mission so we have built significant links both locally and in India.
“We seriously explored the potential of playing a game in India five years ago so the idea is nothing new. We do however welcome the renewed interest from the AFL and are keen to work with the Giants to make this happen.”
Port Adelaide is also in talks with the league to continue its commitment to play an annual game in China.
Gold Coast agreed to surrender a home match to play the Power in Shanghai in Round 8 this year.
Greater Western Sydney’s willingness to do the same will be a key to the proposed 2018 Mumbai match against Richmond.
“This is clearly a significant opportunity for Australian football and given Western Sydney’s demographic make-up and the Giants’ connection with the Indian community, the Giants are a logical consideration for a game in India,” the Giants spokesman said.
“New South Wales’ economic base is an undeniable consideration when looking to further build links with India and the Indian community in Australia via an AFL premiership game.”
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