You start by heading north from Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, towards the border with China. Eventually you link up with the Karakorum Highway, passing through never ending vistas of amazing mountain scenery. It isn’t the Himalayas, but a magical land in its own right. Then you arrive at the village of Gilgit Baltistan.

Here, Saliha Baig Jaturi is running Aussie Rules footy clinics. Not only does she face the challenges of being a woman in a Muslim country, where particular expectations on women can restrict what a woman can do, she is also selling Australia’s national game to kids and older villagers who know little or nothing about the game.

The other big challenge is snow. The mountains on the Pakistan/China border zone rank amongst the highest in the world and have the cold to prove it.

 

Riley Beveridge from the sww.afl.com.au website reports that Port Adelaide has a new partner in China for the next three years. After talk and speculation since the Gold Coast Suns withdrew from future agreements, St Kilda has formally been announced as the new opponent for the Power in Shanghai, commencing next season. 

PORT Adelaide has struck a deal to take on St Kilda in its annual China clash from 2019 and beyond, with the two sides confirming a three-year agreement on Thursday.

Gold Coast had been Port Adelaide's opponents in Shanghai over the past two seasons, with the first home and away game played on Chinese soil back in the 2017 campaign. 

However, the Saints will replace the Suns in 'hosting' a match at Shanghai's Jiangwan Stadium, which has a capacity of around 11,000 people for AFL matches.

Australian Football Sri Lanka continues to build on their dream to establish the game of Australian Football in Sri Lanka. Following on from their previous visits to Sri Lanka where they ran clinics and formed a representative squad ahead of the 2017 International Cup, and again visiting later in 2017, the Fonseka brothers are back in Sri Lanka.

Accompanying them on the AFSL Annual Tour 2018 is the Essendon Football Cub captain Dyson Heppell and his brother, Essendon's 2018 VFL Best and Fairest winner Aaron Heppell. The tour is sponsored by AFSL.

The crew spent the past few days finding their feet on the ground in Sri Lanka where they will spend 2 weeks networking with strategic individuals and organisations, promoting Australian Football and running clinics to help introduce the game to the locals.

Below we hear the thoughts of the Heppells on the tour so far.

The Indonesia Volcanoes have claimed the Division 1 AFL Asian Championships in Kuala Lumpar by 16 points over the Philippine Eagles. In the inaugural women’s competition at the Asian Champs, the Vietnam Swans have downed the Hong Kong Dragons in a thrilling final to win the title by just two points.

The Division 2 title was won comprehensively by the ODG PNG Muruks, downing the Thailand Tigers in the final by 70 points 12 5 77 to 1 1 7.

Despite the presence of rain at various stages, the tournament was a huge success – the largest in terms of teams and player numbers to date. According to AFL Asia, "Weather as it does in Asia during this time of the year didn’t have much of a bearing on the overall scheme of things. However, it must be stated when the heavens opened in the Division 2 Final the PNG Muruks we’re playing with a dry ball, whilst the Thailand Tigers were playing with a wet footy. The PNG Muruks put on an absolute show in their grand final."

AFL Asia 2018 iflix Asian Championships & Inaugural AFLW Asian Championships

Article Courtesy AFL Asia

The AFL season may be over, however it’s the business end of the football season in Asia, with the AFL Asia’s 2018 iflix Asian Championships & Inaugural AFLW Asian Championships taking place at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this Saturday, October 13th.

This year’s biggest ever ‘Asian Champs’ will see 5 Division 1 Men’s Teams, 12 Division 2 Men’s Teams and 4 Women’s Teams fighting it out for the ultimate glory in Asian Football. The AFL Asia’s showcase event is expecting over 500 participants from 13 different countries to attend, including approximately 100 females, which is an outstanding result.

As part of the lead-up to the AFL Asian Championships in Kuala Lumpar next month, World Footy News will be presenting information and backgrounds on some of the teams headed to the event. This article features player profiles courtesy of veteran Chinese national footballer, Zhang Hao.

The following profiles are or the eight Chinese nationals who will be playing for the Reds next month as the Chinese team prepares to take on the best in Asia and flex some muscle. The game is expanding at an exciting rate through the clubs based in Beijing (Bombers), Shanghai (Tigers) and the teams of the SCAFL (South China Australian Football League) centred around Guangzhou (Guangdong Province), Hong Kong and Macau.

Kuala Lumpar is preparing for the upcoming AFL Iflix Asian Championships on Saturday 13th October. With the release of the draw this week, large scale of the event becomes clearer. Teams from across the length and breadth of Asia will be there, and training for the travelling squads is in full flight.

According to the event hosts, “the Malaysian Warriors Australian Rules Football Club warmly welcome competing teams, family, friends and spectators to the 19th AFL Asian Championships, Kuala Lumpur! This year’s event is set to be the largest Asian Championships in the history of the tournament with a record 22 teams registered to participate including the inaugural AFLW Championships.”

“As Australian Rules football continues to grow across the region we’re excited to be hosting this year’s Championships and look forward to a huge weekend of Aussie Rules at its Asian finest.”

Ask any red-blooded footy follower in either Shanghai or Beijing what is the biggest match in China, they will most likely NOT mention the AFL clashes between the Gold Coast Suns and Port Adelaide. The Holy Grail in China is still the historic China Cup. For years, the Shanghai Tigers and the Beijing Bombers have contested the cup for the bragging rights as the best Australian Rules football team in China.

Last weekend, the latest instalment of the China Cup was played in Beijing. Once again it was the Shanghai Tigers victorious over the Beijing Bombers, holding on in a tight match to win the battle by just two goals. The finalscores saw the Tigers 10 12 72 down the Bombers 9 6 60. The victory ensures that the China Cup remains in Shanghai until 2019 when the two clubs lock horns again.

Ben McKay from AAP has reported on the www.afl.com.au website about the decision by the Gold Coast Suns not to return to China in 2019. The decision will be a hiccup in the AFL’s expansion plans into the Chinese markets, though there is plenty of time to find another suitor ready for next season. The original article can be found at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-09-02/gold-coast-not-keen-on-a-return-to-china

GOLD Coast has walked away from future AFL matches in China after two years of playing Port Adelaide in Shanghai.

Suns chairman Tony Cochrane used the club's best and fairest awards night to declare the club's interest in the overseas venture over.

The Japan Warriors Universities team have managed to notch up a second victory in their regular annual tour to Australia – this time defeating Box Hill North (41 – 33) in the second of two clashes against the Melbourne suburban club played on August 18th.

Goal scorers listed (on AFL Japan Website) for the Warriors in this match are: Horiguchi 2, Fuji 2 and Inagaki 1.