AFL Grand Final shines spotlight on Australia’s unique brand of football
Australia stops to witness the Australian Football League (AFL) grand final between the Richmond Tigers and Adelaide Crows at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
As one of the biggest days in the country’s sporting calendar, the match is expected to fill the MCG’s 100,000 seats. Neither team has won a premiership for at least 19 years, and none of the players have ever played a final. First on the ladder, the impressively offensive Crows are tipped to win. In third, the Tigers have dominated in defence, but their having historically finished below the fifth lends today a sense of destiny.
Despite domestic popularity, AFL’s growth internationally has suffered for many reasons including the lack of revenue to spend on promotion, low emigration rates, and difficulties breaking into Asian markets. Having just hosted the International Cup with 18 countries including Ireland and Papua New Guinea, the skill gap between Australia and the world remains the sport’s biggest challenge.
Start your day with an open-source intelligence briefing. Download The Daily Brief. Free in the App Store.