GWS chief executive Dave Matthews remains committed to the idea of playing a home-and-away match in the US.<\/p>\n
The Giants have long been with the AFL in their desire to expand the game overseas.<\/p>\n
They instigated talks about playing a game in California back in 2019, but they were set aside during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Matthews still wants to play internationally but says it needs to be \u201cthe genuine product\u201d rather than an exhibition match.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be happy to play (in America),\u201d Matthews told SEN on Monday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our game needs to continue to grow (and) that goes to my point about playing friendlies. If we\u2019re going to go offshore, I\u2019d rather take the genuine product.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NFL is bringing its product to Australia, playing an early-season match at the MCG in 2026.<\/p>\n
A key issue with playing non-American sports in the US is the access to grounds.<\/p>\n
Major League Cricket, while growing strongly, is still being played at makeshift baseball venues.<\/p>\n
Matthews said he spoke to Andrew Dillon as recently as last week about growing the game internationally after the AFL chief executive went to India on a project tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, you need stadiums and proper cricket grounds, which has been the issue in the US,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we spoke to Andrew Dillon about it a little bit last week and talked about his trip to India and what he might have as an aspiration there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a club that\u2019s very open to any of those initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
GWS hosts a winless St Kilda in an intriguing match at Engie Stadium on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The Giants suffered a heavy defeat to the Western Bulldogs, while the Saints are 0-2 after making a strong recruiting play during the off-season.<\/p>\n