AFL reveals its Twenty20 vision that can be taken to the world

THE AFL is continuing to secretly trial a Twenty20-inspired version of the game which Port Adelaide chairman David Koch believes is ideal to help their push into China.

Kevin Sheedy enjoys promoting the game overseas. Picture: David Caird

THE AFL is continuing to secretly trial a Twenty20-inspired version of the game that it believes can take hold in countries across the world, including China.

AFLX is a high-octane, seven-a-side version of football played on soccer-sized grounds with quarters shortened to 10 minutes.

The concept only needs one umpire, there are no centre bounces and the game is restarted with a kick in from full-back after each goal.

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch believes AFLX is ideal to help their push into China.

Koch said there were already 14 Chinese schools playing an AFL competition in Shanghai.

“We’ve had Auskick and AFL approved by the Chinese education department in Beijing to be an approved sport to play at school,” he said.

“So they’re massive steps forward for us to try the game up there. But it’s all about the field and that’s why sevens is a way better option.”

David Koch’s Port Adelaide will play Gold Coast in Shanghai for premiership points. Picture: Glenn Hampson

AFL general manager of game development Simon Lethlean told the Sunday Herald Sun they have had two trials, one involving North Melbourne at Arden St last month, with a third to be held in the next two weeks.

But Lethlean said AFLX was still some time away from being rolled out in public.

“We got some great feedback from the Kangaroos about some of the rules and what they enjoyed,” he said.

“We’re going to trial a few more things to bed down how we think the game looks and feels and then the next plan after that is to work out when we’re going to roll it out in some competitive fashion.”

Koch said Port Adelaide’s Round 8 clash with the Gold Coast Suns in Shanghai on Sunday, May 14 was being played on an old golf driving range.

“You can’t find big grass areas in China,” he said.

“There are lots of soccer pitches and there’s a massive move in China to win the soccer World Cup in the late 2020s so they’re building all these soccer stadiums over there.

“It (AFLX) is certainly the way to take the game overseas, to play on rectangular fields so it makes absolute sense to do it.”

AFL general manager of game development Simon Lethlean.

A source who was involved in one of the AFLX trials said while he had been sceptical, the concept could take off overseas.

“It’s fast-paced, high scoring. It’s just go, go, go,” the source said.

“All the best aspects of the game remain. You could see schools in China making it part of their curriculum where they’ve got soccer pitches. It actually has a little bit of merit.”

Lethlean said while AFLX had been developed for an international audience it could also feature on the domestic sporting calendar.

“Whether there’s a domestic opportunity here for us to have AFL clubs or others competing in an AFL Express type competition or round robin or in some sort of pre-season environment or we have an exhibition game with the best 20 players in Australia, who knows,” he said.

“Any time you can get the best players playing in a different, fun format, I think it’s shown it can be successful in other sports and we think our product’s as good as everyone’s so we’re trying to find different ways and options to play.”

Legendary coach Kevin Sheedy said he always enjoyed the promotion of AFL internationally.

“As I said previously at the AFL conference, we haven’t really broken away from Australia yet,” Sheedy said.

“We haven’t earnt one euro, one yen, one US dollar out of any other country. So it’s good to see that we’re going to start now.”

WHAT IS AFLX?

PLAYED on a soccer-size pitch. Trial games have been played between teams of seven players, with three on the interchange bench.

ONE umpire, no centre bounces and kick-ins from full-back after each goal.

QUARTERS last 10 minutes.