Sydney will host a China-themed match later this month against West Coast to be attended by senior Chinese and Australian government officials, which the Swans hope can grow the game among this country’s Chinese diaspora.
A powerful delegation including China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, its consul general in Sydney, Zhou Limin, and senior Chinese-Australian business and trade figures will be at a sold out pre-game function at the SCG as part of celebrations marking the Chinese community’s involvement in the sport.
The dragon dance will be performed before the Swans’ clash with West Coast.Credit: Jin Wu Koon Dragon and Lion Dance Association/Getty Images
AFL CEO-elect Andrew Dillon, federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy of Australia, Chris Bowen and NSW Premier Chris Minns will also be in attendance at the lunch hosted by the Duanwu Sports Diplomacy Forum through long-serving former Swans chairman Richard Colless and the Australian Chinese Business Council.
Despite Australia’s rich history of immigration from China and East Asia, there have been disproportionately few people with ancestry from that part of the world involved in Australian rules football as players, coaches or administrators.
Port Adelaide played three games for premiership points against St Kilda and Gold Coast from 2017-19 in Shanghai, but the fixtures were scrapped in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have not returned.
The Swans see the themed match against the Eagles, the brainchild of former long-serving chairman Colless, as a way of bringing China to the game instead of taking games to China.
Former Swans chairman Richard Colless during 2005 premiership celebrations.Credit: Dallas Kilponen
There will be a dragon dance performance on the field before the round 15 clash, which was chosen as the date best matches the Dragon Boat Festival starting this year on June 22. China’s ambassador to Australia will toss the coin.
On the night before the game, the league will launch the book Celestial Footy: the Story of Chinese Heritage Aussie Rules by author Patrick Skene at the Swans’ new headquarters at the Royal Hall of Industries. The book explores the little-known history of Chinese involvement in the sport, starting on Ballarat’s gold fields.