AFL to play Premiership matches overseas?

AFL Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou has opened the second AFL Industry Conference by flagging the possibility of a match soon being played overseas for premiership points.

Demetriou has spearheaded the recent expansion of the code, which took another step on Tuesday night when the Greater Western Sydney Giants were launched.

Yet the AFL boss is now casting his eyes further afield. Having staged an exhibition match between Melbourne and Brisbane Lions in the Chinese city of Shanghai last month, he wants to hold a match overseas with four points on the line.

Demetriou told the more than 400 guests who attended the opening day of the conference "imagine the scene when one day in the not too distant future we play the first ever match overseas for premiership points.

"It could be Shanghai, it could be Mumbai, it could be Los Angeles (but) wherever it is, when that day comes weâll know our game has taken yet another great leap forward."

Closer to home, Demetriou says the AFL competition and its clubs are in great health, stating âwho would have thought a decade ago that we would have nearly 615,000 people sign on as club members in 2010? Thatâs one in 37 Australians.

"When Richmond's Chief Executive Brendon Gale said earlier this year that he wanted to see Richmond set a new benchmark of 75,000 members, the groans of cynicism were almost audible.

"Yet some clubs are rapidly heading there. This year Collingwood signed 58,000 members and after a long awaited premiership anything would seem possible in 2011.

"We are talking about a club which this year averaged crowds of more than 70,000 at the MCG, a figure right up there with Manchester United and the top 10 NFL sides."

Despite the positive figures, Demetriou believes clubs can further boost their membership in years to come, adding âletâs aim to have one in 35 people become members of AFL clubs. Better still, what about one in 30?

"It would certainly be achievable if we set ourselves a target for half of our clubs to have more than 50,000 members by 2016.

"Wouldn't it be great to think that in the years to come, the NFL and German Bundesliga will be talking about the AFL, and not the other way around?"

With the theme 'It's all about the fans', the AFL Industry Conference is being held at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast on from 17th to 19th November.

The conference is being addressed by leading sports administrators from around the world including Bryan Perez, Senior Vice-President and General Manager for NBA Digital, and Frank Hawkins, the former Head of Strategic Planning for the NFL's media group.

AFL General Manager of Strategy and Marketing Andrew Catterall explains that the conference is "an opportunity to get everyone together on the Gold Coast and show some support for football in the region.

"It's also an opportunity for people in the footy industry to experience first-hand the growth of the code in south-east Queensland.

"They will see the exciting developments with our new club, the Gold Coast Suns, along with the construction of the new Gold Coast Stadium.

"In addition, we are supporting our partners up there, which include Gold Coast Tourism, Queensland Events and the Queensland Government."

Other highlights of the conference include an address from former British Airways Chief Executive Sir Rod Eddington, who will talk about the infrastructure challenges faced by AFL.

Catterall adds "it really is an opportunity for the leaders in the footy industry to get together and discuss some of the key opportunities for our code over the next five to 10 years.

"For us, this is centred around building closer relationships with our fans, pursuing opportunities in the digital space and building stronger partnerships with our players and clubs.

"We'll be hearing from some of the leading experts in the world, then have the time to socially discuss these opportunities."

Renowned demographer Bernard Salt will address the audience on how the Australian population is changing and what this means for football.

Salt recently completed a five-month study titled The Rise and Rise of Melbourne's West, which was commissioned by the Western Bulldogs. The study showed that strong growth is projected to continue in the region for at least the next 20 years.

Salt found this will match or even exceed the rate of population growth on the Gold Coast and in Western Sydney, where the AFL's expansion teams are based.

For more information go to www.afl.com.au/offseason/industryconference/tabid/16837/default.aspx

Image: Jiangwan Stadium Shanghai, were Melbourne played Melbourne and Brisbane Lions last month. 

30th April 2010 - AFL LOOKS OVERSEAS WITH INTERNATIONAL APPOINTMENT