Footy in China

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Even the BBC noted the game was on with some great photos.
Really liked the one with the 2 youngish women in Port colours very intently watching the action. That is part of the market they are after but only one game a year will slow things down.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-39918170

We have noted elsewhere Gil McLachlan said there definitely will be more matches with Port at that venue for at least 5 years. Also the stadium itself does not get much use most of the year so the local Chinese Authoritories probably will be happy.
 
I stuck around after the Port v Suns game and watched Team China take on an Asian Lions team mainly made of guys from Vietnam I think but other nations were represented. It was 2 x 20min halfs. Some players had good skills others poor and 35-40m was the average kicking distance. About 1/3rd of the crowd stuck around to watch the game and all the goals and good bits of play were applauded. The China team won by 2 or 3 pts. Pretty sure the score was 5.4 or 5.5 to 5.2. The players loved playing in front of a decent crowd on a decent oval and took it seriously.

Best way I can describe that it was a bit like watching a women's game, the skills generally weren't great, a few players had very good skills, but the contest was very willing and all the guys took it seriously. Physically there werent any real giants out there that could be picked up as a roomie list ruckman like a few yanks, but the Chinese blokes were physically a lot heavier and stronger than the Asian Lions.
 
Port will be taking 'power footy' version of Auskick to Xian, the city where the Terracotta Warriors are and over 8 million people. The new 4 year sponsorship deal with MJK International Holdings Group a couple of days before the game sees us replicate in Xian what we are doing in the schools in Shanghai.
 
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The Chinese team relaxing at the beach with some fun type training after their first match.
http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/2017-08-08/team-china-recovery-at-the-beach-ptv

China are in Pool A in Div 2
Their main rivals in this group are Croatia who they beat by 1 point.
They should get to SF1 on August 15 at Royal Park, where they will play the 2nd team in Pool B in crossover match.
Its all to do but they are showing promise at our game. There has to be tall Chinese somewhere over there and the development has to find them.
It is alright for us in Australia to say these things, but a tall spine is a requisite for the game.
A note on Croatia who are also showing promise at the 18 a side version after having an excellent 9 a side background in Europe. They will develop very nicely when the normal game is played more over there.
 
TWLS said:
The Chinese team relaxing at the beach with some fun type training after their first match.
http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/2017-08-08/team-china-recovery-at-the-beach-ptv

China are in Pool A in Div 2
Their main rivals in this group are Croatia who they beat by 1 point.
They should get to SF1 on August 15 at Royal Park, where they will play the 2nd team in Pool B in crossover match.
Its all to do but they are showing promise at our game. There has to be tall Chinese somewhere over there and the development has to find them.
It is alright for us in Australia to say these things, but a tall spine is a requisite for the game.
A note on Croatia who are also showing promise at the 18 a side version after having an excellent 9 a side background in Europe. They will develop very nicely when the normal game is played more over there.
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it's generally agreed that the lack of preparation by Croatia (they mostly arrived Saturday afternoon before) may have cost them the first outing.
 
RedV3x said:
it's generally agreed that the lack of preparation by Croatia (they mostly arrived Saturday afternoon before) may have cost them the first outing.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I suspect Croatia will end up winning division 2 in the end...I don't think they've played much 18 a-side either which is more than double the complexity
 
I missed the game today, but China seem to have come on in leaps and bounds. Compared to 2011 where they were so far off the pace it wasn't funny & 2014 where they'd improved enough to not get blown away in every match, the 2017 team look strong, fast and have some decent foot skills to boot. Today I expected a close game, with Japan to do enough to get the chocolates like they have done against China previously. Big result. This win, alongside the opening game with Croatia, would have to be one of the most important in the history of footy for China.
 

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jarrod_island_doggies said:
I missed the game today, but China seem to have come on in leaps and bounds. Compared to 2011 where they were so far off the pace it wasn't funny & 2014 where they'd improved enough to not get blown away in every match, the 2017 team look strong, fast and have some decent foot skills to boot. Today I expected a close game, with Japan to do enough to get the chocolates like they have done against China previously. Big result. This win, alongside the opening game with Croatia, would have to be one of the most important in the history of footy for China.
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The fact they beat Croatia, yes it was bloody close to only win by a point in Rd 1 of Pool A, is probably the best indicator of how far they have come. I think the Chinese boys got a bit tired as the tournament went on. They lost to Germany in the semi final by 5 goals but Germany kicked 3 goals to nothing in the last quarter. Today Croatia beat Germany 11.8 to 1.2.

Through Port's involvement with China strategy I have sen them develop since 2014. The game that Team China played against the Asian Lions - players from 3 or 4 Asian nations - after the Port v GC in Shanghai was a decent game of amateur footy. Port also giving Chen Shaoliang an international scholarship to play in the SANFL Magpies has also helped. Chen unfortunately did an ACL his second training session and took over 12 months to recover, but he has do a hell of a lot of training at the club. Giving Chen a scholarship has also been one of Port's smartest move in our whole China strategy.
 
RussellEbertHandball said:
The fact they beat Croatia, yes it was bloody close to only win by a point in Rd 1 of Pool A, is probably the best indicator of how far they have come. I think the Chinese boys got a bit tired as the tournament went on. They lost to Germany in the semi final by 5 goals but Germany kicked 3 goals to nothing in the last quarter. Today Croatia beat Germany 11.8 to 1.2.

Through Port's involvement with China strategy I have sen them develop since 2014. The game that Team China played against the Asian Lions - players from 3 or 4 Asian nations - after the Port v GC in Shanghai was a decent game of amateur footy. Port also giving Chen Shaoliang an international scholarship to play in the SANFL Magpies has also helped. Chen unfortunately did an ACL his second training session and took over 12 months to recover, but he has do a hell of a lot of training at the club. Giving Chen a scholarship has also been one of Port's smartest move in our whole China strategy.
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I saw the Croatia game, & was very impressed by China's pace & kicking skills -they also looked very fit. The PA influence was very clear.

Has PA issued a public vision/objective of its China strategy? For 5 yrs, 10 yrs, & 20 yrs.? I understand it is more than the $4,000,000 + sponsorship money.
If not, your views on PA's objectives/strategy?

Is PA liaising closely with the AFL on its dev. strategy? I assume the AFL would be very interested in a market of 1.2 billion -& a wealthy middle class of c.100 million+.
It has been reported (generally speaking) China wants to pursue a "soft power"strategy in the west, & elsewhere ie pursue influence by cultural exchanges/ cultivate "persons of influence" etc. Whilst Aust. is only a middle power, the Chinese authorities might see benefits in improving AF ties between the 2 countries.
 
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BringBackTorps said:
I saw the Croatia game, & was very impressed by China's pace & kicking skills -they also looked very fit. The PA influence was very clear.

Has PA issued a public vision/objective of its China strategy? For 5 yrs, 10 yrs, & 20 yrs.? I understand it is more than the $4,000,000 + sponsorship money.
If not, your views on PA's objectives/strategy?

Is PA liaising closely with the AFL on its dev. strategy? I assume the AFL would be very interested in a market of 1.2 billion -& a wealthy middle class of c.100 million+.
It has been reported (generally speaking) China wants to pursue a "soft power"strategy in the west, & elsewhere ie pursue influence by cultural exchanges/ cultivate "persons of influence" etc. Whilst Aust. is only a middle power, the Chinese authorities might see benefits in improving AF ties between the 2 countries.
Click to expand...
Sorry I read your post on my phone on Friday and forgot to answer it Saturday when I was on my computer.

Port has a long term strategy in China independent of playing a game(s) there for premiership points. We are both working with the AFL, and independent of them in China. It started with doing stuff in HK in 2013 around Auskick and HK Dragons. This engagement was set up by Bigfooty Port board poster Lockhart Road who I mentioned on the previous page. Then in 2014 when Team China looked like it was going to have to pull out of International Cup about 5 weeks before the tournament as China Southern Airlines and Melbourne FC sponsorship of the team getting to Oz was pulled. Port stepped in and took over sponsorship and brought Team China to Oz. That was a bloody important move in our whole China strategy. We gave before we received.

In 2015 Port spread its wings by sponsoring the South China AFL in the province of Guangdong and in particular the teams at the Unis in Guangzhou. Rd 20 2015 Mr Gui Guojie, who was in Adelaide as part of his company's mission to be a bidder for the S.Kidman and Co properties is invited to a game against GWS at Adelaide Oval and falls for the game straight away. He loved that you had 3 generations of the family (son, father, grandfather) attend the game. CEO Keith Thomas met him in Shanghai in December 2015, KT's first trip to China after several staff had been there many times. At a 2 hour meeting with Mr Gui, as a more detailed China strategy is discussed as well as sports diplomacy is also discussed, a plan is hatched to get Auskick first and then more detailed footy programs in to Shanghai schools. Part way thru the meeting Mr Gui invited his friend the deputy Commissioner for schools in Shanghai - all 22,000 of them - to the meeting and within half an hour a sketch plan for footy program in the schools was mapped out.

In March 2016 we sign an MoA with Mr Gui's Shanghai CRED about sponsorship and game development stuff. This deal is worth over $1mil per year for 3 years, and then in April an MoU was signed between Shanghai CRED, Port Adelaide and the AFL to get a game to China and the AFL to do some development work.

Port put a full time development officer onto the ground in late 2016. By the time of the game in Shanghai was on - the Power Footy skills program in 14 schools across three provinces. At Alberton, Port's China engagement team has expanded from two to seven full-time staff, but it is not just a locally based project. Port Adelaide also has two full-time game development officers working in southern China and another couple in Shanghai.... The plan is to have 6 full time footy development staff in China by the end of 2017. Not sure if that has been achieved yet as I know the club has at least 6 people full time in China including a business development manager.

Before the Rd 1 game this year, a conglomerate group with the name of MJK International Group came on board as short term sponsors as the 2nd in charge of China, Premier Li was attending the Rd 1 game in Sydney as a guest of Port, as he was here for a Aus-China trade mission. MJK had set up an Australian office in Sydney in February.

The day before the Shanghai game MJK and Port announced a 3 year $1mil/year sponsorship deal which included taking the schools program to MJK's HQ city of Xian - Port’s “power footy” schools program — where Chinese children play Australian rules as part of the curriculum — is mostly confined to Shanghai; MJK will help get it started in Xian.....(that was from the Oz)

PORT ADELAIDE has put pen-to-paper on another pivotal sponsorship, with China-based cultural industry company MJK announced as the Power's coaches' sponsor until at least the end of the 2020 season.....MJK registered its company in Australia in February this year, and has established its international headquarters in Sydney. MJK has appeared on the match day polos of the Power’s coaching panel this year with a partnership following on the heels of its other Open to the World partners Shanghai CRED Real Estate, Ausgold and Cathay Pacific. As part of the deal, MJK will be the major partner of Port Adelaide’s Power Footy program currently operating in 14 schools across China, which will now expand to Xi'an.“This is another fantastic announcement – having MJK on board until 2020 is significant,” Port Adelaide chief executive officer Keith Thomas said. “Through our initial discussions, MJK were impressed by our vision, our mission in China and our long history, and wanted to partner with us through to at least the end of our 150th season.

If you want to know more about the general strategy as it has grown from 2014 I can give you link to 3 or 4 threads on the Port board and you can work your way thru them.
 
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BringBackTorps said:
I saw the Croatia game, & was very impressed by China's pace & kicking skills -they also looked very fit. The PA influence was very clear.

Has PA issued a public vision/objective of its China strategy? For 5 yrs, 10 yrs, & 20 yrs.? I understand it is more than the $4,000,000 + sponsorship money.
If not, your views on PA's objectives/strategy?

Is PA liaising closely with the AFL on its dev. strategy? I assume the AFL would be very interested in a market of 1.2 billion -& a wealthy middle class of c.100 million+.
It has been reported (generally speaking) China wants to pursue a "soft power"strategy in the west, & elsewhere ie pursue influence by cultural exchanges/ cultivate "persons of influence" etc. Whilst Aust. is only a middle power, the Chinese authorities might see benefits in improving AF ties between the 2 countries.
Click to expand...
Forgot to say that Port put it's 5 year strategy/vision as well as review of the Shanghai game to the AFL Commission on 20 June metting re everything it wants to do and what it wants the AFL do re finacial support, resources on the ground for game development as well as future games in Shanghai, opponents etc. Rucci in the 'Tsier on 12th July said the AFL Commission will take its time to respond to all of Port's ideas and requests.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...t/news-story/f74db679dab0982f56c6d429efa53624
More immediate on Thomas’ agenda is fine-tuning the five-year plan the Power wants to present to the AFL Commission to keep playing in Shanghai, China. Thomas noted a “positive” response from the commission in Adelaide last month when Port Adelaide made its review of the ground-breaking clash with Gold Coast in Shanghai in May.

The question of the Power’s next opponent remains unresolved while as many as four AFL rivals seeks to push the Suns out of the China adventure.“There is a strong argument to stay with Gold Coast and expect the Suns to make it better next year,” Thomas said. “And there is a case to go with a big Melbourne club and take a new supporter base to China.” The AFL is expected to clarify how the Power’s “China Strategy” continues in the next two months in the lead-up to the league fixture for Season 2018 being released at the end of October.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...t/news-story/f74db679dab0982f56c6d429efa53624
 
RussellEbertHandball said:
Forgot to say that Port put it's 5 year strategy/vision as well as review of the Shanghai game to the AFL Commission on 20 June metting re everything it wants to do and what it wants the AFL do re finacial support, resources on the ground for game development as well as future games in Shanghai, opponents etc. Rucci in the 'Tsier on 12th July said the AFL Commission will take its time to respond to all of Port's ideas and requests.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...t/news-story/f74db679dab0982f56c6d429efa53624
More immediate on Thomas’ agenda is fine-tuning the five-year plan the Power wants to present to the AFL Commission to keep playing in Shanghai, China. Thomas noted a “positive” response from the commission in Adelaide last month when Port Adelaide made its review of the ground-breaking clash with Gold Coast in Shanghai in May.

The question of the Power’s next opponent remains unresolved while as many as four AFL rivals seeks to push the Suns out of the China adventure.“There is a strong argument to stay with Gold Coast and expect the Suns to make it better next year,” Thomas said. “And there is a case to go with a big Melbourne club and take a new supporter base to China.” The AFL is expected to clarify how the Power’s “China Strategy” continues in the next two months in the lead-up to the league fixture for Season 2018 being released at the end of October.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...t/news-story/f74db679dab0982f56c6d429efa53624
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Two great posts showing what is possible if the "intent" is there.
These deals would have to be the best I have ever seen yet for our International Game, and historically speaking the AFL when led by Demitriou encouraged the AFL Clubs to get involved overseas and led to the Hawks into NZ and 4 Clubs into South Africa in 2007/2009.
Those deals pale into insignificance to the China arrangements.
 
RussellEbertHandball said:
Forgot to say that Port put it's 5 year strategy/vision as well as review of the Shanghai game to the AFL Commission on 20 June metting re everything it wants to do and what it wants the AFL do re finacial support, resources on the ground for game development as well as future games in Shanghai, opponents etc. Rucci in the 'Tsier on 12th July said the AFL Commission will take its time to respond to all of Port's ideas and requests.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...t/news-story/f74db679dab0982f56c6d429efa53624
More immediate on Thomas’ agenda is fine-tuning the five-year plan the Power wants to present to the AFL Commission to keep playing in Shanghai, China. Thomas noted a “positive” response from the commission in Adelaide last month when Port Adelaide made its review of the ground-breaking clash with Gold Coast in Shanghai in May.

The question of the Power’s next opponent remains unresolved while as many as four AFL rivals seeks to push the Suns out of the China adventure.“There is a strong argument to stay with Gold Coast and expect the Suns to make it better next year,” Thomas said. “And there is a case to go with a big Melbourne club and take a new supporter base to China.” The AFL is expected to clarify how the Power’s “China Strategy” continues in the next two months in the lead-up to the league fixture for Season 2018 being released at the end of October.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...t/news-story/f74db679dab0982f56c6d429efa53624
Click to expand...
Thankyou for such comprehensive replies.

I assume PA is aware of the Southern Dragons, who have several teams in the VAFA, based in Clayton. Their players are mainly from a Chinese & Vietnamese background -some are very good footballers. There are also many other Australians from Asian backgrounds playing in the VAFA -usually in Old Boys'(school) teams.

My understanding is that the FFA is keen to use Australian soccer (linking with Chinese teams/influential Chinese) as away of forming closer ties with China, to facilitate trade etc -& probably wishes to obtain financial Aust. Govt support for this.
I noted you mentioned, above,"sports' diplomacy" was discussed. Care to elaborate?

There was not a lot of height in the China team -but there are, obviously, people there over 190 cm(They have many tall basketballers, & basketball is a very popular sport there). Are tall athletes being targetted in China to play AF?

Have any realistic objectives been discussed/planned for the next 5,10,20 years in China?
(Refer me to the PA BF board if these issues are canvassed there).
 
BringBackTorps said:
Thankyou for such comprehensive replies.

I assume PA is aware of the Southern Dragons, who have several teams in the VAFA, based in Clayton. Their players are mainly from a Chinese & Vietnamese background -some are very good footballers. There are also many other Australians from Asian backgrounds playing in the VAFA -usually in Old Boys'(school) teams.
Click to expand...

Yes Port is aware of the Southern Dragons. What contact they have had with them I am unaware. Port started working with UniSA in 2014 about getting the 4,000 students from mainland China and 1,000 from HK to get involved with Port and engaged with the game. It only takes one student to fall in love who has wealthy parents and links up with Port and returns home and gets his family business involved to pay off big time. Thru the club students have played games of footy and a couple of years ago there was talk that UniSA would set up a team for Chinese nationals to play competitive games, but not a formal team in the amateur league comp.

My understanding is that the FFA is keen to use Australian soccer (linking with Chinese teams/influential Chinese) as away of forming closer ties with China, to facilitate trade etc -& probably wishes to obtain financial Aust. Govt support for this.
I noted you mentioned, above,"sports' diplomacy" was discussed. Care to elaborate?
Click to expand...
Port is doing what the FFA said soccer would do when it moved into the Asian Confederation. The idea of linking up Asian and Australian business people, government agencies and general cultural exchange. This is a massive part of Port's whole China strategy. Its why we are working with people at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and with people inside the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. The secretary of DFAT and ex Ambassador to China Frances Adamson, is an ex Adelaide girl, has done work with Port on China, and we have employed her Mandarin speaking daughter in our Adelaide based China team. What you see re the game in Shanghai and some our stuff with the game development in China and Team China, is just the tip of the iceberg of a multi-layered, multi-dimensional strategy.

In early 2015 Port appointed Andrew Hunter from the SA premiers office to become GM of our China strategy. He is an economist, politically connected and was a professional volleyball player in Europe for about 10 years after leaving the AIS. Initially we made him head of China + all our community work which includes indigenous programs and school education programs. He initially was swamped and didn't handle it all that well until his duties were redefined to just concentrate on China. It was Andrew who built the sports diplomacy side of strategy. it was Andrew who got Malcolm Turnbull to the announcement in Shanghai in April 2016 when Australia Trade week was on. It was Andrew who negotiated with the Chinese Embassy to get China's no. 2 leader, Premier Li to be Port's guest to the Rd 1 game v Sydney at the SCG when he was in Oz for a Trade Mission and Andrew got Malcolm Turnbull to turn up again to a Port event, even though he is a swans supporter. Andrew could well end up in politics as he is connected and has a big interest in politics, and if he does make it to Canberra, he could one day, well be foreign minister or head of the foreign affairs joint standing committee of parliament.

There was not a lot of height in the China team -but there are, obviously, people there over 190 cm(They have many tall basketballers, & basketball is a very popular sport there). Are tall athletes being targetted in China to play AF?
Click to expand...

From a Port pov we are not targeting tall athletes. Before the development monies from Shanghai CRED last year and Xian this year, we were concentrating on working with uni students in Guangzhou and across the rest of the province of Guandong and in Hong Kong. If Mr Gui didn't come on board at the end of 2015 that would be where Port's China Strategy would be and whilst we would have similar broad goals it wouldnt have become as extensive as it is today.

Have any realistic objectives been discussed/planned for the next 5,10,20 years in China?
(Refer me to the PA BF board if these issues are canvassed there).
Click to expand...
The club has a definite 5 year strategy and it was pitched that to the AFL Commission on 20th June. The Commission's response, endorsement and financial support will determine how fast we implement it. I haven't seen those documents, but because I speak to Port's CEO Keith Thomas about China stuff and I know Port BigFooty poster Lockhart Road - the guy that made the beach head for Port's China strategy in Hong Kong, starting in 2013, I know a fair bit of the big picture stuff. The mechanics like the names of the development officers living in China, which provinces they are in, which schools etc I dont have those detailed specifics.

I think the best thing, if you are really interested in more details, is for you should read some stuff from the following threads on the Port board to get a good feel for how deep this goes and footy is only a small bit of the total package.

CEO Keith Thomas was on the Port board Bigfooty podcast last October a week or so after the China game was announced. He was on for an hour talking more than China, but the first 20 minutes is worth a listen as its all on China.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/portfanradio/china-with-kt-ep-4-61

This thread was a Q&A with Port's GM of Commercial Operations Matthew Richardson, who was in charge of the China stuff before Andrew Hunter came on board and is officially GM of China and government relations in 2015, but Matthew still has a finger in the pie as a senior executive. Read from page 2 and post 38 onward for Matthew's answers. They are posted under Ford Fairlane's name/account.
https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/questions-about-ports-china-strategy.1164120/page-2

This was the first major thread on China started by Lockhart Road, who as I stated before is the person who started the whole China stuff out of Hong Kong in 2013. It starts off in July 2014 when Port decided to step in and get team China to Oz for the IC2014 after China Southern Airlines and Melbourne FC pulled the pin on getting Team China to the IC14. Port put up about $200k to get the guys here and this was a bloody pivotal moment in the whole journey.
https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/pafc-china-the-celestial-frontier.1069325/

Then this 270 page thread has been going since April 2016 a week before the big announcement in Shanghai by Mr Gui, Port's Keith Thomas, Gilligan McLachlan and Malcolm Turnbull that an MoU had been signed to get a game to China in either 2017 or 2018 and develop Australian Football in Shanghai and China in general. This has the all the articles and explanations about how broad the club's China strategy is, the arms, legs, tentacles it can grow over the next decades and by using Sport — through Port Adelaide — is to be the link between Australia and China for business (both ways), diplomacy, education (as Adelaide remains a major tertiary centre for Chinese students), tourism and cultural ties.

If you watch Landline on Sunday's on ABC, you will note I posted many of their stories about Australian agribusiness in general with connections to China, and stories related to Gina Rinehart's and Shanghai CRED's purchase of S.Kidman & co in this thread. The investment Rinehart and Shanghai CRED are making into the cattle market in Australia and live export to China will last decades as per a Landline story the first week of July this year. If Port get their partnership with Mr Gui right, it will last for those decades and who knows what we end up doing in China from a footy development pov.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/china-history-in-the-making.1128595/
 
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RussellEbertHandball said:
Yes Port is aware of the Southern Dragons. What contact they have had with them I am unaware. Port started working with UniSA in 2014 about getting the 4,000 students from mainland China and 1,000 from HK to get involved with Port and engaged with the game. It only takes one student to fall in love who has wealthy parents and links up with Port and returns home and gets his family business involved to pay off big time. Thru the club students have played games of footy and a couple of years ago there was talk that UniSA would set up a team for Chinese nationals to play competitive games, but not a formal team in the amateur league comp.


Port is doing what the FFA said soccer would do when it moved into the Asian Confederation. The idea of linking up Asian and Australian business people, government agencies and general cultural exchange. This is a massive part of Port's whole China strategy. Its why we are working with people at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and with people inside the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. The secretary of DFAT and ex Ambassador to China Frances Adamson, is an ex Adelaide girl, has done work with Port on China, and we have employed her Mandarin speaking daughter in our Adelaide based China team. What you see re the game in Shanghai and some our stuff with the game development in China and Team China, is just the tip of the iceberg of a multi-layered, multi-dimensional strategy.

In early 2015 Port appointed Andrew Hunter from the SA premiers office to become GM of our China strategy. He is an economist, politically connected and was a professional volleyball player in Europe for about 10 years after leaving the AIS. Initially we made him head of China + all our community work which includes indigenous programs and school education programs. He initially was swamped and didn't handle it all that well until his duties were redefined to just concentrate on China. It was Andrew who built the sports diplomacy side of strategy. it was Andrew who got Malcolm Turnbull to the announcement in Shanghai in April 2016 when Australia Trade week was on. It was Andrew who negotiated with the Chinese Embassy to get China's no. 2 leader, Premier Li to be Port's guest to the Rd 1 game v Sydney at the SCG when he was in Oz for a Trade Mission and Andrew got Malcolm Turnbull to turn up again to a Port event, even though he is a swans supporter. Andrew could well end up in politics as he is connected and has a big interest in politics, and if he does make it to Canberra, he could one day, well be foreign minister or head of the foreign affairs joint standing committee of parliament.



From a Port pov we are not targeting tall athletes. Before the development monies from Shanghai CRED last year and Xian this year, we were concentrating on working with uni students in Guangzhou and across the rest of the province of Guandong and in Hong Kong. If Mr Gui didn't come on board at the end of 2015 that would be where Port's China Strategy would be and whilst we would have similar broad goals it wouldnt have become as extensive as it is today.


The club has a definite 5 year strategy and it was pitched that to the AFL Commission on 20th June. The Commission's response, endorsement and financial support will determine how fast we implement it. I haven't seen those documents, but because I speak to Port's CEO Keith Thomas about China stuff and I know Port BigFooty poster Lockhart Road - the guy that made the beach head for Port's China strategy in Hong Kong, starting in 2013, I know a fair bit of the big picture stuff. The mechanics like the names of the development officers living in China, which provinces they are in, which schools etc I dont have those detailed specifics.

I think the best thing, if you are really interested in more details, is for you should read some stuff from the following threads on the Port board to get a good feel for how deep this goes and footy is only a small bit of the total package.

CEO Keith Thomas was on the Port board Bigfooty podcast last October a week or so after the China game was announced. He was on for an hour talking more than China, but the first 20 minutes is worth a listen as its all on China.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/portfanradio/china-with-kt-ep-4-61

This thread was a Q&A with Port's GM of Commercial Operations Matthew Richardson, who was in charge of the China stuff before Andrew Hunter came on board and is officially GM of China and government relations in 2015, but Matthew still has a finger in the pie as a senior executive. Read from page 2 and post 38 onward for Matthew's answers. They are posted under Ford Fairlane's name/account.
https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/questions-about-ports-china-strategy.1164120/page-2

This was the first major thread on China started by Lockhart Road, who as I stated before is the person who started the whole China stuff out of Hong Kong in 2013. It starts off in July 2014 when Port decided to step in and get team China to Oz for the IC2014 after China Southern Airlines and Melbourne FC pulled the pin on getting Team China to the IC14. Port put up about $200k to get the guys here and this was a bloody pivotal moment in the whole journey.
https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/pafc-china-the-celestial-frontier.1069325/

Then this 270 page thread has been going since April 2016 a week before the big announcement in Shanghai by Mr Gui, Port's Keith Thomas, Gilligan McLachlan and Malcolm Turnbull that an MoU had been signed to get a game to China in either 2017 or 2018 and develop Australian Football in Shanghai and China in general. This has the all the articles and explanations about how broad the club's China strategy is, the arms, legs, tentacles it can grow over the next decades and by using Sport — through Port Adelaide — is to be the link between Australia and China for business (both ways), diplomacy, education (as Adelaide remains a major tertiary centre for Chinese students), tourism and cultural ties.

If you watch Landline on Sunday's on ABC, you will note I posted many of their stories about Australian agribusiness in general with connections to China, and stories related to Gina Rinehart's and Shanghai CRED's purchase of S.Kidman & co in this thread. The investment Rinehart and Shanghai CRED are making into the cattle market in Australia and live export to China will last decades as per a Landline story the first week of July this year. If Port get their partnership with Mr Gui right, it will last for those decades and who knows what we end up doing in China from a footy development pov.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/china-history-in-the-making.1128595/
Click to expand...
This is fascinating -never knew the full extent of PA's involvement, & its ambitions. A great compliment to PA's forward thinking -could be groundbreaking for the game, on so many levels.

A few questions:-
.How big a challenge will RU be, as a competing full contact sport. I understand the Chinese Govt. wants to devote significant funding to RU.

.Soccer is well established in China, & many play. Of course, soccer holds the promise of $millions pa -if a Chinese player was good enough to go to a top Euro club. This attraction is a very big hurdle for AF; & AF will never be a big international sport.
What is the hook to attract/retain athletic Chinese to try AF?

.Any public info. on Mr Gui's personal net worth? Capitalisation of his companies?

.Why did PA prefer China to India (India not as wealthy -but has a large English-speaking middle class, many ovals, plays cricket/more Western alligned)?

.Many are predicting rising geopolitical tensions with China, despite our very strong trade & tourism links ie building reefs in contested international waters into militarised islands, a strong supporter of Nth Korea.
I assume no one from PA has publicly commented on these issues terminating AF programs/closer links with China?

. Would you like to see rule changes that bring more players below 178 cm back into the AFL?(The trend for the last 30 years has seen the average height of recruits getting greater -most over 183 cm).
Do you consider this height issue is important to engage our own significant populations of Asian-Australians to play AF? And to increase the appeal of the game to people in Asia?
 
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BringBackTorps said:
This is fascinating -never knew the full extent of PA's involvement, & its ambitions. A great compliment to PA's forward thinking -could be groundbreaking for the game, on so many levels.

A few questions:-
.How big a challenge will RU be, as a competing full contact sport. I understand the Chinese Govt. wants to devote significant funding to RU.
Click to expand...

No real idea what sort of challenge RU will be. The biggest challenge is finding space for ovals. s**t getting into 22,000 schools in Shanghai is daunting enough, Xian is a city of 8 million there might be 8,000 school there.

.Soccer is well established in China, & many play. Of course, soccer holds the promise of $millions pa -if a Chinese player was good enough to go to a top Euro club. This attraction is a very big hurdle for AF; & AF will never be a big international sport.
What is the hook to attract/retain athletic Chinese to try AF?
Click to expand...

The hook will be that its something different to soccer and they might want to use their hands. You dont have to get all 600m kids wanting to play the game.
.Any public info. on Mr Gui's personal net worth? Capitalisation of his companies?
Click to expand...
No. I found his Shanghai CRED website but it hasn't been upated in 6 years. He isn't a billionaire but I suspect he's worth a few hundred million AUD's.

.Why did PA prefer China to India (India not as wealthy -but has a large English-speaking middle class, many ovals, plays cricket/more Western alligned)?
Click to expand...

The number one reason this started is because of Bigfooty poster Lockhart Road. He has lived in HK since 1971 and knows the Chinese and their culture. He served in the army in Vietnam with ex Port Adelaide SANFL player Peter Chant. Peter was killed in action in 1969. The club forgot about him and in late 2012 Lockhart Road wrote to the club and offered to help from HK, said there might be opportunities there and eventually in China and that the club had forgotten about Peter Chant. Just before ANZAC day 2013 he visited the club with some of his 9RAR Charlie company mates who served with Peter Chant. The club looked after them and Lockhart Road, just like Johnny Warren and Les Murray made it their mission to spread soccer to Australians, he has made it his mission to take Port to HK and China.

Koch's daughter lives in HK, so he saw the HK links straight away, and he gets the importance of China to Australia in a business sense, its our no.1 two way trading partner, no.1 export market, they are buying businesses and assets in Oz, they want to do business here, tourism has grown from nothing 20 years ago to 1mil in 2015 and 1.2mil in 2016 and will become no.1 tourist market overtaking Kiwi tourists in 2017 with 20% compound growth. Its also Oz's no.1 market for students. Its a no brainer from a business sense. There is massive potential in engaging with China. We went there with a footy concept but mainly to get some sponsorship via Chinese businesses to link into Oz culture via footy. Basically use the marketing horsepower of the AFL via Port to advance their business in Oz. But it has become a lot deeper than this original thought.

In 2014 I said to CEO Keith Thomas what Port and Australia in general has to do with China, is walk the middle path between the Korean and Canadian experience. Unless you read trade stats like I do, most Australians had no idea that in the mid 1990's South Korea became our 2nd largest export market after Japan and stayed there for almost a decade until China become no.2 and then very quickly no.1. But most Australians know next to nothing about Korea and had/have never met any Koreans. Even though I was aware of it I had only met a few Korean students when I lived in Sydney for 15 years. The Canadian experience is at the opposite end. There is very little trade as we both mainly exports grains and agricultural meat products and have similar minerals and resources. But the cultural exchange is huge through education, teachers regularly go teach in each others country, sports, commonwealth stuff, government, military, many Canadians and Australians have married, both countries have easy visa programs for under 30's to come and live and work in each others country etc. So I said long term we have to have both economic as well cultural exchanges just not all one or the other with China.

Why not India? Its a mess over there. Ever tried to do business with Indians? In China if you get in with the government you get in across the board. The initial reason to do this was about $$$ in the long run. The Chinese are running the world at the moment not the Indians.

.Many are predicting rising geopolitical tensions with China, despite our very strong trade & tourism links ie building reefs in contested international waters into militarised islands, a strong supporter of Nth Korea.
I assume no one from PA has publicly commented on these issues terminating AF programs/closer links with China?
Click to expand...

No comments from Port just the media pissing its pants that the game might be called off because Kim Jong Un might go nuts. Australia rides on the back of the China boom. Has done for nearly 20 years. If our politicians don't want to bag or upset China, my footy club isn't going to. That is just life. The Chinese are taking over from the yanks and all big powers become a bit muscular and like to flex those muscles. There will be tensions the next 30 years as this transition occurs. Key is to be aware of it, don't piss your pants about it and just work your way thru the change.
 
The monster torp goal is, & always has been, one of the GREATEST highlights of AF. The AFL has presided over its demise -it is too risky a kick to execute correctly, long kicks are being phased out for fear of a turnover. The loss of the monster torp goal is partially one reason why football culture, tribalism & passion has diminished in Vic., WA,SA, & Tas. (re falling per capita crowds; & actual raw TV ratings). The AFL is growing AF well in Qld., NSW & the NT.

I believe, for the above reason, that a torp goal kicked outside 50 mtr. line should automatically be worth 2 goals -to "reward/encourage" the riskier, more exciting option. Or, alternatively, after this goal is kicked (adding 1 goal), the same kicker gets the automatic right to attempt a torp goal only from the middle of the 50 mtr arc: if successful, extra goal (ie total 2 goals).
(Also, more players doing long torp goals would undermine effectiveness of flooding -& open up the game).

It is well known that, as a generalisation, short players are more accurate kickers than tall players -due to the shorter ball drop. Shorter players would be more proficient at the difficult torp. Soon 10% of Australians will be of Asian background, & are shorter. They are vastly underrepresented in community AF, & obviously the AFL. It is essential we engage them in playing AF -& offer more AFL role models for overseas Asian players.
This change would also make smaller overseas Asians much more more competitive when playing westerners.

I am surprised the national media has not run a background story on Lochhart Road, his efforts, what is being achieved in China by PA for AF, & the long term implications.
 
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BringBackTorps said:
The monster torp goal is, & always has been, one of the GREATEST highlights of AF.
Click to expand...

NO. The drop kick and it's variations were easily the most beautiful kick to behold.
The torp is good for scoring but difficult to mark. I know of one coach who encouraged it's use because he didn't have confidence in his own players marking ability in the forward line. The torp is a relatively easy kick. The secret is not to put too much angle on it.
I'd use it on the angle to bend around posts or for distance.

If I could have my little day-dream wish it'd be for all kick-ins being drop-kicks.
Forget all the other laws about the square. - just a drop kick.
You want to play-on then do a little drop-kick.
 
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