Tigers and Giants to play in India

Richmond and GWS are set to play a match at the DY Patil Stadium in India. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

RICHMOND'S ambition to play an AFL match in India looks set to be realised, with Greater Western Sydney agreeing to play a pre-season game there against the Tigers next year.

The Tigers and Giants have agreed to play the match in Mumbai next February, most likely at the DY Patil Stadium, a state-of-the-art 60,000 seater that hosts Indian Premier League cricket matches.

Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale has been floating the idea for some time, but had struggled to find an AFL club willing to participate, with Essendon angling for a post-season clash.

But the Giants, coached by the lateral-thinking Kevin Sheedy, are open to the pre-season date, and see it as an opportunity to snare new fans and even players.

"If teams are a chance of winning a premiership I can understand their reluctance to travel such a distance to play a match because it can interfere with their preparation but we just need to play games," Sheedy said.

"We've already expanded nationally with our game now it's time to grow it internationally." Giants boss David Matthews said: "We've got two kids in our academy from Indian heritage and you only had to be in the crowd at ANZ Stadium for the Twenty20 international to see what sort of an atmosphere an Indian crowd creates."

Tendulkar's Test teammate, Rahul Dravid, is a patron of the new Richmond supporter group, the Indian Tigers, which the club believes is an important first step in getting the Indian community involved in the AFL.

"It will give Indians another team and another sport to follow," Dravid said.

"I have watched some games on television - it is fast and very physical. It would be great to see a game played in India."

The match is seen as a way to repair Melbourne's troubled relationship with India after last year's rash of assaults on students.

Premier Ted Baillieu was in Mumbai over the weekend promoting Victoria as a tourist destination, and is believed to have discussed the AFL match.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheCourierMailAfl/~3/2M4lzbBfa-s/story-e6frepf6-1226282055135

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