The AFL has lofty goals to gain a foothold in India, with league boss Andrew Dillon flying off to Mumbai on Sunday.
His long term hope is for Aussie Rules to become a nationally played sport, and hasn’t ruled out one day playing AFL games on the subcontinent.
However, the latter is not on the short term priority list given they first need to grow a foothold.
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Footage of Aussie Rules being played in India. Nine
The code is already played in 11 of India’s 28 states.
Dillon revealed they will be meeting with a number of multi national corporations in Mumbai as well as potential local broadcast partners.
Growing participation rates both in India and Indian heritage citizens in Australia is of great interest for the league, as they hope to reach one million participants in the next decade.
AFL chief Andrew Dillon, and commissioner Richard Goyder. Getty
“We think it is an opportunity for all of our clubs, but in particular the ones that grasp the opportunity earlier,” Dillon told 9News Melbourne.
“We’ll be meeting with those clubs when we get back.”
Richmond and GWS are two teams that have shown interest in potential involvement.
Collingwood academy rookie Jai Saxena became the first player of full Indian descent to be drafted by a club in 2025.
“India has the largest population in the world and is really emerging as a global sports performance hub,” Dillon said.
Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli in a Richmond jumper. Twitter
“Nearly one million people in Australia were born in India, so it’s really important for the AFL as we continue to grow that we engage with the Indian diaspora.
“What we want to do now is establish the footholds. We’ve got an emerging player participation over in India. It’s exciting to see the way it has grown at a participation level.
“Playing (an AFL game) over there, you never say never, but it’s not on the immediate (priority list).”
Dillon will be in attendance for the upcoming AFL India 2026 national championships in Ranchi.
The AFL has played games on foreign soil before, holding home-and-away matches in New Zealand and China in the last decade.