World Footy News

The Australian media today reported that the AFL's cash-strapped Western Bulldogs unsuccessfully tried to sell two home matches in 2010 to New Zealand. The deal would have seen two of the Bulldogs' home games played in the New Zealand capital city Wellington, at a return of half a million Australian dollars per match.

Bulldogs chief executive Campbell Rose wrote a letter directly to New Zealand's prime minister John Key, with the support of the AFL, proposing that the Bulldogs would take two games across the Tasman Sea. It is not clear whether this would replace those already sold by the club to Darwin and Canberra, or be two additional home matches.

The time elapsed on bringing the deal to reality for 2010, but the club is believed to be continuing to pursue the project for 2011.

If it is successful, it would become the first time an AFL match has been played in New Zealand for premiership points, and the first of any kind since the last pre-season clash between Brisbane and Adelaide in Wellington in 2001.

For more, read Cash-strapped Bulldogs tried to sell games to NZ for $1m from national newspaper The Australian.