Dubai: Top officials from the Adelaide Football Club hope the weekend's game here against Collingwood will help the game reach out to new destinations.
"Aussie Rules football is a native game and it is important to share this sport and broaden its reach. We need to show the sport to more people," the Adelaide FC chief coach Neil Craig told Gulf News after a rigorous training session for the 39-member squad at the Dubai Police Officers' Club on Wednesday.
"The whole of Australia love and enjoy the sport. It is now time that we serve it out to the world," said John Reid, General Manager Operations for Adelaide FC.
The NAB Cup match between Collingwood and Adelaide will be played from 1:45 pm on Saturday at the Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club.
Both teams have their fans travelling with them to witness the action.
Given this background, the possibilities for the sport are huge even though Dubai is a brand new venue for Aussie Rules football.
"Both teams are sponsored by top corporates such as Toyota [Adelaide Crows] and Emirates [Collingwood Magpies]. We live in a global society now and it is just right that the sponsors get some amount of publicity at a new venue," Craig said.
Focal point
"Dubai is the focal point for this part of the world and I think we have undertaken a very interesting exercise of coming in here and being part of this match," added the general manager. The Australian Football League (AFL) is using the Dubai match as a template for the future.
"The AFL wants to see what sort of an impact such a sport can have. Basically, they are looking at finding new frontiers for Aussie Rules and this match will be a good start," Reid said.
Reid, in fact, was one of the officials sent to Dubai in the middle of last year to gauge the possibility of hosting a match outside Australia.
"If the Dubai experiment works, and I am convinced it will work, then there is no stopping the AFL from finding other venues for Aussie Rules football," Reid added.
