Sydney Swans and St Kilda Saints to face off in Wellington on Anzac Day
Neil Cordy
The Daily Telegraph
September 13, 201212:00AM
AFL Chief Operating Officer Gillon McLachlan, St Kilda President Greg Westaway, Wellington City Councillor John Morrison and St Kilda Chief Executive Officer Michael Nettlefold. Picture: Getty Images The Daily Telegraph
NOT content with Western Sydney, the AFL could now look to New Zealand in a bid to extend its influence in rugby league and union heartlands.
The Sydney Swans will play St Kilda next year in Wellington on Anzac Day, establishing a foothold that could deliver a Kiwi-based team within a decade, officials believe.
"Where that goes, I don't know," AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan said. "Whether it's a team in 10 years, I'd love to think it was."
The Swans-Saints match will be played at 7.30pm, directly after the Collingwood-Essendon clash at the MCG.
"I'm going to put it out there: we'll sell that game out," McLachlan said of the 34,000 capacity Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
"It will be an incredible event broadcast live back into Australia, celebrating shared cultures and values with a great product where sports-mad New Zealanders with Australians who like to travel will be having a great day."
With more than a million viewers tuned into Collingwood v Essendon, Swans CEO Andrew Ireland believes the club will gain great exposure nationally and internationally.
"This will be a historic match for the AFL competition and it is exciting that our club will be a part of it," Ireland said. "Anzac Day is a hugely significant day for Australia and New Zealand, and to be playing Australia's game on New Zealand soil will be a great tribute."
While the match will be St Kilda's home game, the Swans are in the box seat to have a regular involvement in the annual event.
"From the New Zealand government's point of view, and Wellington Council, they have a strong belief Sydney are a good team to play in terms of the capacity for people to come to the game," Ireland said.
Provided all parties are happy, Saints will host games in Wellington in 2014 and 2015 in a deal reportedly set to net the club about $1 million per year.And Wellington is only the start. Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu has spoken this week about the prospect of home-and-away games being staged in China, while Richmond have been pushing for an exhibition match in India.
While NZ is an obvious first step, McLachlan said there are no insurmountable barriers to going further afield.
"There are logistical issues, but you have to be creative to solve those," he said. "You think about the rugby guys who travel to South Africa. That's a terrible flight, the time zones are poor and people make it work. If you have a vision, you have to deal with the challenges."
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