AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL League (AFL) chief executive Andrew Dillon will travel to India this weekend as the League continues its push to establish a foothold in one of the world’s largest sporting markets.
For the record, AFL is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian Rules football, and is NOT the football played in most of the world.
The trip is part of the AFL’s long-term strategy to expand its international presence, with India being perceived as a key growth opportunity due to its
“massive population, demographic and increasing appetite for global sports”.
Dillon will hold meetings with a range of sports commissioners and business leaders, with the AFL’s head of strategy Walter Lee also on the trip, which will include a visit to Mumbai.
Per the official AFL website, “There has been significant growth in people playing Australian Rules in India, jumping from 150 across the country to more than 20,000 across 11 states, with India central to the next phase of making footy global”.
The AFL has made growing its Indian market a priority, establishing its AFL Desi content handle last year and forging a connection between South Asian countries and the game. It also is keen to build on the huge Indian community in Australia through the game, the website further states.
At last year’s draft, AFL franchise Collingwood selected Next Generation Academy player Jai Saxena, making him just the second player of full Indian heritage to be drafted in the AFL, while there are also two current AFLW players with Indian backgrounds.
Last year, a game in both the men’s and women’s seasons were broadcast with Hindi commentary and there are plans to do the same in 2026.
