AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has hailed the historic Shanghai match as a resounding success, saying the only negative was the one-sided result.
Blocks of empty seats on the outer wing at Jiangwang Stadium were obvious on the TV coverage and they sparked social media commentary.
The warm conditions were hazy, without being oppressive, and overall it could not have gone better.
A sold-out crowd of 10,118 – fans from Australia, expats and a small but enthusiastic local contingent – watched Port Adelaide maul Gold Coast by 72 points.
Port coach Ken Hinkley and his Suns counterpart Rodney Eade said post-match they would be happy to return.
“It was obviously a really pleasing day for football, for Port Adelaide, for our game – a good crowd, the venue looked amazing and it came up well on broadcast,” McLachlan said.
The key now is what Chinese authorities make of the experiment.
Above anything else, the first AFL game for premiership points outside of Australia and NZ spearheads Port’s bid to secure sponsorship dollars in the country.
“We think we’ve invested for the long-term here – we’ll continue to work with the local authority and the layers of government in this country,” McLachlan said.
“But today’s been a big success, I’m sure they would have enjoyed today.”
There was plenty of pre-game criticism, with concerns about air quality and logistics, as questions why the AFL was going ahead with a game in China.
“Everyone sees the opportunity in China and they certainly see it clearer today,” McLachlan said.
“Like all progress, people see obstacles when things are harder.
“People (now) see a clearer path and maybe an easier path.”
McLachlan said the empty sections in the grandstand were due to fans in those sections having access to nearby corporate marquees.
He noted all the public seating areas were full and, if anything, the AFL will look to increase the ground capacity given tickets sold out in two hours.
“There are challenges here – all the tickets were sold and then you have down that end, left of screen, some corporate marquees,” McLachlan said.
“‘So a lot of people would have been in there, eating and drinking.”
Eade said he would want to return so Gold Coast can redeem themselves.
But the Suns are yet to decide whether they will commit again.
“There’s a first-mover advantage, clearly, and I think it’s a question for Gold Coast,” McLachlan said.
“If they do (want to return), I think they’re in a good position, without any guarantees.”
There was widespread praise for the ground surface and McLachlan said the league would make sure it is maintained.
“They’ll have the best frisbee turf in the world,” he said.
eddy
Guest
There is nothing contradictory here. Yes, agreed there is a hint of fear for the current generations. I do believe AFL will have marginal growth in some parameters in the near term (10-20 years), but I purposefully made my point about 100 years into the future. That my view is that all the current gains will be ultimately futile, with no meaningful continued growth outside current markets.
Mickyo
Guest
OMG That link is from 2009. You are on the ball wriggler
Mickyo
Guest
Harms plenty of people, they include Craigo, Elliot the wriggler amongst others.
Republican
Guest
.........only while they are winning........
Republican
Guest
........yep, the Storm are the perfect blue print for this commercial rationale which is not exclusive to any particular brand today, while they continue to be afforded O2 by the NRL.........
Republican
Guest
........so akin to the Sydney/Brisbane Rugby League then, that is really a code supported predominately by northern working class Sassenachs?
Republican
Guest
........yep, the Storm are the perfect blue print for this commercial rationale which is not exclusive to any particular brand today, while they continue to be afforded O2 by the NRL.........
Republican
Guest
......completely concur with your sentiment.........
Republican
Guest
......and pray tell, what is the big picture. Will this ensure the nations capital its own deserved stand alone team in the 'national' league?
Republican
Guest
........to be sure stu and this is why our codes strength lies in its domestic DNA. It is a commercial folly to pit itself against any international brand outside of these fatal shores, while it must continue to focus growth within. I believe it can and will survive and dominate the footy market domestically given its cultural advantage, well into the future however it will compromise this cultural capital if it embarks on any international or pseudo international forays.
Republican
Guest
.........Gridiron is more popular than our code is in NZ but I dont see the NFL making any move on NZ as a 'potential' market for growing the commercial footprint of their code. Our own very worthy domestic options must be fostered as a priority, our we stand to lose them to an ongoing neglect and expedience, while NZ should not be mentioned in the same breath as any of these.
stu
Guest
I agree with you Ben AFL is not big internationally to grow the sport in China. China is a country- for international prestige reasons likes to see its sportsmen and women achieve on the global stage, and olympic sports are therefore given preferential state support and approval. I saw a t v program the other day on the vast amounts of money the government is putting into football. It is also interesting to see the growth of Rugby union since it became an olympic sport, there has been a 40% increase in the past year to 76000, while that is only small in a country like China, money is being invested by the govt, IRU and a private investor(145 million ) in the next 10 tears. This deal by Alisports will involve grassroots initiatives university programmes and a professional league and tv and digital exposure of Rugby, therefore until AFL becomes a high profile international sport it will be a niche sport in China only.
clipper
Guest
Unless I've missed something, I really don't think the point of this is to expand into China. I think it's just a good way to gain some exposure, do something different and attract PR (which has worked). The NFL take games to London, but don't think they expect England to convert, just a good way to do something different. Doesn't do anyone any harm and creates goodwill. Perhaps it will even have a a positive effect on the Chinese fans in Australia - see quite a few at the Swans games.
Birdman
Guest
I really doubt the AFL didn't incur some cost.
Micky Mc
Guest
But those metrics, Clipper, include the notion that the game can be spread to China. Unless the other metric, building up economic contacts with Chinese businesses, is the predominant one. But I would have thought that the second metric is deeply dependent on the first: that is, without the game having a direct and physical presence in China, it then becomes essentially an exercise in attracting Chinese financial support to the AFL in Australia. If it's really only about the second metric, as you seem to imply, then it seems to be a very expensive and eccentric way to say "look at me".
clipper
Guest
That's all that turn up for Storm games on a good day - is that a total failure as well?
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Mat StKilda didn't get kicked out of Wellington - however - they are looking instead at Auckland. Wellington is a black hole even for the Phoenix and Hurricanes. God knows how many freebies they have to give away for these local sides to draw ordinary crowds - the StKilda crowds were quite to very good by comparison (probably bolstered by freebies too). I think Wellington is just a dud market. The claim of 30,000 registered players was certainly misleading - that was far and away mostly made up of kiwikick participants. AFL in NZ is largely a summer sport - but is reasonably popular with Rugby players to build up ball skills and fitness across the off season.
Republican
Guest
.......yep. The criteria to grow a brand of sport today has naught to do with actual interest on the ground. The world 'market' has clearly devolved impressionable and prosaic. So under this new world blue print to grow a 'product' i.e. our indigenous code, Beijing are prematurely being touted to be gifted stand alone entity in the AFL along side the philistine NZ, while Canberra, the NT and Tassie continue to be expediently patronised to this end.........
Perry Bridge
Guest
When there is very limited capacity - and you're catering for half or more of the venue to travelling competing club members/fans - - that doesn't leave much space. All tickets were sold. Whether everyone turned up - or - many did as suggested above - and spent most of the afternoon in the corporate tents to keep out of the heat.... IT was a start and it wasn't a failure. That's a reasonable start then.
Republican
Guest
.........this remains an AFL goal. It is all about a tele criteria and has naught to do with any grass roots potential or interest, which as we know, is a complete furphy in the hard sell by Gillion and his bankers of NZ. These days you can parachute a plastic entity onto Mars, throwing good $'s after bad and call it a commercial success, a'la GC Suns, GWS, Melbourne Storm while this continues in the guise of the Wellington Phoenix and Warriors as well and all at the expedience of our domestic demographics........