{"id":435500,"date":"2026-01-25T00:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T00:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/435500\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T00:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T00:44:10","slug":"afl-ceo-reveals-two-clubs-interested-in-potential-india-involvement-afl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/435500\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL CEO reveals two clubs interested in potential India involvement – AFL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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AFL<\/a> CEO Andrew Dillon has revealed that two clubs have “expressed interest” in being involved with India in the future as the AFL<\/a> explores potential opportunities for growth in the region.<\/p>\n

Speaking to\u00a07 News<\/a>, Dillon shared that the Richmond Tigers<\/a> and GWS Giants<\/a> were the teams willing to get involved, though an international game taking place in India is not an immediate priority of the league.<\/p>\n

However, Dillon did not rule out the possibility of a game in the country down the track, a match that would take on a similar vein to the AFL’s previous international growth attempts in New Zealand (2013-2015) and China (2017-2019).<\/p>\n

Australian Rules football is currently played in 11 states in India at a grassroots level, which Dillon intends to help grow during his trip, with scheduled meetings to take place with international broadcasters. The AFL<\/a> will also aim to understand how to “better engage the Indian diaspora in Melbourne”.<\/p>\n

“Within India we’ve got teams playing out of 11 states at the moment,” Dillon said on Sunday.<\/p>\n

“We want to get that up to 20 states so Australian Rules football can be recognised as a national sport in India. That’s our first growth target.”<\/p>\n

The AFL<\/a> launched social media pages across Instagram, X and Facebook with the username “AFL<\/a> Desi” in December, 2024, with a bio reading “Desi heart, Aussie footy. Bringing AFL<\/a> to the South Asian fam.”<\/p>\n

Desi is a term for people, cultures, and products originating from the Indian subcontinent – primarily India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh – and its diaspora.<\/p>\n

The content was led by a group of young Desi people, also featuring highly regarded sports media star Bharat Sundaresan on multiple occasions, aiming to highlight and educate the population on the game of AFL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Your ultimate AFL cheat sheet is here! \ud83d\udcd6<\/p>\n

The 2025 All-Australian Team brings together the standout players of the season. \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n

Which player are you most excited to see honoured this year? \ud83d\udcac pic.twitter.com\/ZUhyQgonyy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 AFL Desi (@AflDesi) September 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The pages indicate that this latest international venture from the league has been at the forefront of their plans for growth for a significant amount of time, and Andrew Dillon’s trip to Mumbai is the latest step in that process.<\/p>\n