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Aussie football final a day to kick back for fun
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AS Australians around the world steel themselves for the highly anticipated grand final of their most beloved sport — Australian Rules Football, also known as AFL — the Shanghai Tigers is preparing for its biggest social event of the year.
AFL is a fast-paced and high-scoring game played on an oval field around twice the size of a soccer pitch. It is one of the most popular sports in Australia.
The Shanghai Tigers host numerous events throughout the year. Grand final day will take place this Saturday at the Camel Sports Bar in Puxi.
With free entry from 10am and live streaming of the game from 2:45pm, the day will be a family-friendly affair. According to current club president Mark Mayne, “there will be a barbecue, pies, ice cream and a raffle” in a laid-back atmosphere.
The Shanghai Tigers has been playing AFL in Asia for over a decade but is now undertaking new projects to promote the game, which remains relatively unknown outside its homeland. Players believe it is important to share the game with the greater community by getting locals to train and compete with the team.
Mayne says the club’s mission for 2014 is to “play regular competitive matches, both domestically and overseas, grow and nurture local participation in the game and continue to develop a club culture that is inclusive, family-friendly and appeals to a broad group.”
In line with this mission, five locals, including Zhang Hao, Liu Kunsong and Chen Shaoliang, played in the club’s most recent Beijing-Shanghai match in early September. “These men come to training sessions each week to learn the skills, and then it’s all about practice,” says Mayne.
“The local players have responded amazingly and have embraced the game. Their skill level keeps improving every time they train, and more so as they get to actually play the game. They are very committed and love to get involved,” he adds.
According to Mayne, the club’s base has been built by the Australian expat community. “However, it thrives with the input of the greater expat community.”
While the club tries to facilitate teaching Chinese to play, Mayne notes that it is necessary “to have a dedicated current player who speaks Chinese and is willing to take the time to train locals.” Furthermore, it is not always an easy task for Shanghai Tigers to raise the money needed to sponsor locals to travel with the team.
In 2001, the Shanghai Tigers team was established “by a group of footy-starved expats with a strong passion for the game. The club has continually evolved since then and now appeals to diverse members who share a love of competition, travel and being part of an active social network that engages the local community,” says Mayne.
In 2015, the Shanghai Tigers will commence an Auskick program with international school students aged 5 to 12. It will provide children with the opportunity to learn the rules of the game and to play a new sport in a fun environment.
The Shanghai Australian Football League is also promoting the game among Chinese nationals. In the past, local players have competed alongside expatriates in the annual Asian Championships, where teams from numerous countries around Asia come together for an action-packed day of football. This year the championships will be held in the Philippines on October 11.
Within Shanghai, the club splits into three teams to play eight games throughout the season, with the grand final taking place in June. The club uses game days as a way to bring people together as well as raise funds for the Shanghai Tigers.
Date: September 27, 10am onward
Venue: Camel Sports Bar, 1 Yueyang Rd, near Dongping Rd
For those looking to get involved, the Shanghai Tigers train at Luwan Stadium every Tuesday night from 7:45pm to 9pm. The club’s official e-mail is shanghai.tigers@gmail.com. For information about the coming Auskick program, contact auskick.shanghai@hotmail.com.
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