Chinanews.com, October 31. According to a report compiled by Australia.com, after the Australian Football League (AFL) finals, the Chinese people told about their indissoluble bond with the AFL, and called on the Chinese to join the AFL competition, as a multicultural Contribute.

　　ABC News reported on the 31st that when Arthur Liu of Chinese origin set foot in Melbourne for the first time 20 years ago, the first person he met gave him advice on how to become a "real Australian" , That is, watch the AFL and support a team.

Today, he is the father of two boys.

He not only became a die-hard fan of AFL, but also passed his love for AFL to his two sons.

　　Similarly, Vescio is one of AFL's multicultural ambassadors. Her father is Italian and her mother is Chinese. She grew up in Australia.

Wei Shaw is one of the few AFL players with Chinese descent.

She said: "The AFL organizers must have realized the huge impact of this event on Australian society. So if AFL wants to be the most inclusive sport in Australia, then they need to do something."

　　According to AFL data, in 2020, about 15% of AFL players were born overseas, or one of their parents was born overseas.

This ratio is higher than 13% in 2019.

Last year, the AFL also stated that about 87,000 players under their umbrella have multicultural backgrounds.

　　AFL has a long history with China.

As early as August 27, 1892, players of Chinese descent participated in the game.

In this regard, Rob Hess, a sports historian at Victoria University, said: “I think one of the most incredible and little-known stories in Australian sports is the Chinese history in the mid-19th century. The community’s acceptance of AFL.” In addition, the player agent Pi of the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) said that he hopes to attract more Chinese and other Asian players to change the monoculture stereotype of the sport.

Pi said: "Now we have more and more immigrant faces on the field, not just from Asian backgrounds." Similarly, he also said that AFL is also working hard to change the system to allow more ethnic minorities to join. In the event, he said that it will definitely bring rewards.

He said: "I believe that in the next 10 years, there will be more and more elite players with multicultural backgrounds." (Wei Wei compilation)