Port’s Chen tells of his giant leap for China and AFL

The story of Port Adelaide player Chen Shaoliang from China has been highlighted at a Melbourne diplomatic event.

One small step for Chen Shaoliang — meeting a few Australians at Guangzhou Sports University, and showing them he could jump — turned into one giant leap for his whole career.

Five years ago, an AFL delegation visited Chinese universities looking for potential players of what was then an exotic and strange code.

Chen Shaoliang said in a presentation to a large audience including Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye in Melbourne on Thursday night “That was my first experience of Australian football.”

He said: “They saw that I could jump, and invited me to Australia.”

The story of Chen, a Port Adelaide AFL player, was one of four highlighted at the Melbourne event to celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and China.

He was born, he explained, to a family of farmers, and gained a place to study sports management at Guangzhou Sports University in the capital of Guangdong province adjoining Hong Kong.

He went on to become, on returning to Guangzhou, captain of Team China, and the South China Australian Football League’s leading goal kicker.

Last year, he said, he was invited to train with Port Adelaide. “It was a dream opportunity for me, to become a professional footy player.”

However, he injured his knee during his very first week of training, and spent a frustrating year in rehabilitation.

“I was upset, but I never gave up,” he said. “I spent that time in rehabilitation helping Chinese fans to better understand AFL, as Port Adelaide’s China ambassador.”

In March this year, Chen showed Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who came to watch a game in Sydney and visited the Port Adelaide changing room, the basic skills and rules of AFL, including how to handball.

“He encouraged me to bring the game to China,” Chen said.

He completed his rehabilitation in July, and led Team China to a breakthrough performance at the AFL International Cup tournament, winning four of five games.

“In August, I finally wore the Port Adelaide Football Club jumper after a 17-month wait, debuting in the South Australian National Football League reserves,” he said, becoming the first Chinese player in a senior Australian Rules league.

Andrew Hunter, the general manger of Port Adelaide’s China Engagement program, said that the spotlight shone on Chen at Thursday night’s event was “a great recognition for him, and a reflection on the tremendous impact his presence has had on the Port Adelaide community, and indeed on the bilateral relationship.”

Hunter said that the club “believes in the power of sports diplomacy, and wants to make our annual match in China the jewel in the crown of the bilateral relationship”.

He said that with Chen’s involvement, “that jewel will have an extra sparkle”.