India Pakistan match of a different kind

Teams, entirely made of the players of Indian origin will compete in an Australian Rules Football tournament before their much-anticipated match against arch-rival Pakistan.

Squad of Bharat Football Club. Source: Bharat Football Club

To make Australian Rules Football more popular among Indian Australians, an Indian Cultural Cup has been organized in Melbourne. This competition will feature only players of Indian origin in the teams.

Talking about the tournament, President of Bharat Football Club Yasser Hussain told SBS Gujarati: "Our main aim is to make the Australian Rules Football game popular among Indian Australians residing in Australia. Hence, we have organized the Indian Cultural Cup on Sunday, 29th July".

"We also have organized an Australian Rules Football match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on 25th August 2018."

Players of Bharat Football Club warming up before their one of the matches. Source: Bharat Football Club

Generally, people of Indian origin are more interested in the game of Cricket. When we started the Bharat Football Club, a majority of the players did not much about footy, but they are slowly starting to understand the game, and now we have put together a strong team of players from Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and other Indian states," said Yasser.

On the other hand, talking about his interest in Australian rules Football or the footy, Tarak Shah - a player from Gujarat, said, "I started playing footy in 2013. The unique feature about this game is that it is fast and finishes within two hours! I play for the Masala Football Club and Bharat Football Club." Talking about the match with a team made entirely of players of Pakistani origin, Tarak said ...

"We lost the match by 9 points against Pakistan when we last played against them. So, I am really excited to play in a match versus Pakistan."

Tarak Shah in action while playing for Masala Football Club. Source: Tarak Shah

Bharat Football Club is performing well, and they have won five trophies since August 2017, including Super Sikh Cup, Sikh Games in Sydney and Unity Cup, ANZAC Day Cup against Sri Lanka, and the Community Cup in Melbourne.

With an intention to involve even more Indians in Australian Rules Football, Bharat Football Club is working with the universities in Victoria and organizes various types of sessions that can help Indian Australians understand the game.

Talking about the bright future of the game among Indian Australians, Yasser said, "We are getting support and help from AFL Victoria. It is an Australian game but for last few years, we have got participation from people of Indian origin, and it is a positive sign for this sport. I believe that this game will become popular in the Indian community."

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