THIS time last year, Liam Jurrah dominated the Shanghai Showdown exhibition match producing a magical performance that showcased the unique elements of our indigenous game.

On Tuesday, the club participated in the opening of Asia’s first purpose built AFL ground in Melbourne’s Chinese sister city, Tianjin.

The Melbourne Football Club has long been a pioneer of the code’s international expansion, playing the first off-shore games, developing talent from Ireland and now supporting the AFL’s push into China.

China is Australia’s biggest trading partner, and provides the highest number of migrants, international students and tourists to Melbourne.

As the oldest football club, we need to engage and understand this community to develop our own relationships and build opportunities that enable future growth.

In 2005, in partnership with the City of Melbourne, tentative steps were taken to create links with Tianjin, which have now led to the building of an AFL oval and the establishment of the Tianjin Demons in China’s growing national AFL competition.

Over the past six years, the club has supported the China Red Demons in the AFL International Cups in 2008 and 2011, hosted two Chinese players in a pre-season scholarship program and visited China in 2007 and played in the first AFL exhibition match as part of the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.

Next year, we hope to further engage Melbourne’s Chinese community with a range of programs that aim to develop our fan base and provide commercial outcomes.

The club is a happy to be a key player in the AFL’s football diplomacy that will broaden the base of our bi-lateral relationship with China and one day produce a bigger market for Australia’s biggest sport.