China Red Demons Heading for the International Cup

It may surprise many to know that Australian Rules Football is played here in China.

China even has a national team called the 'China Red Demons' and they're getting ready to go to Australia to participate in the International Cup, which begins there on August 12th.

The International Cup is open to any country around the world, the main condition being that the players are nationals of the country they represent.

Jules Page is a big fan of the China Red Demons, and of Australian football, and she joins us now …

Australian Rules Football is a unique football code. Frequent physical contests, spectacular high marking, fast movement of both players and the ball and high scoring are the game's main attributes.

This month China's national Australian Rules Football team, the China Red Demons, are heading to Australia to participate in the 'International Cup'.

In a country like China, where little is known about Australian football outside expatriate circles, attracting local players and keeping them involved presents particular challenges.

Mic Mittasch is an Australian businessman who has been working with Chinese Australian Rules football players for the past ten years. His company, Mitchell's equipment, is also one of the major sponsors of the Chinese national team.

"The majority of our players always come from the universities. The problem that comes from that is that once the players have finished their university degree they end up going back to all corners of the country so we build a team but we loose a lot of the players as soon as they finish their studies."

The International Cup was first held a little over ten years ago when eight countries were represented. This time eighteen countries will participate, including the Chinese team.

It's the second time China will field a national team in this competition and expectations are high for an improved performance on their last visit in 2008. Back then China was drawn to meet some of the competition's top teams and although they beat India in their final match, they finished fifteenth out of sixteen.

Mic Mittasch believes this time the Australian Football League, or AFL's, new structure of the draw can benefit the Chinese team.

"This time around what the AFL are doing is actually the first week the games are going to be very short and out of that the countries will be seeded and what we expect to happen is that China will be sitting in the second division which means that for the rest of the two weeks of competition we're going to be better matched to those teams. Our first game is actually against South Africa in the seeding rounds so we are going to have a very tough start, then we play Denmark. Then after that the draw will be done once the divisions are formed."

For many of the Chinese players this is not only their first time abroad but also their first time to represent their country at the national level. The occasion is not lost on ruckman Zhao Liutao.

"I'm very proud to represent my country. Although Australian football is not that popular in China, I feel the responsibility and I want to perform at my best in this tournament. We will win as many games as possible, and let the world know that there are many people in China who love this sport."

Tim Glaser is a columnist with the 'China Daily newspaper's sports section. He believes China's involvement in the International Cup will advance the status of Australian football in this part of the world.

"I think it's very important the china is there and has representation. Any experience they can get is going to be valuable experience in pushing the game forward, not only in China but perhaps the rest of Asia as well.

While some believe the Chinese national team may struggle at this years tournament, team sponsor Mic Mittasch sees a potentially brighter outcome for the China Red Demons.

"We think we could play off in the grand final of the second division. We won one game last time. I think we should probably win three this time and if we can win three out of our four games in our division we should play off in the Grand Final."

Regardless of the outcome of their matches the China Red Demons will be as proud as any nation when they run out to represent their country.

For CRI, I'm Jules Page.