Ameet Bains has been associated with Australian Rules Football ever since he was a child - he was an avid player as he grew up in Bendigo and followed the game with passion. He is now the first person of Indian origin to be appointed CEO of any elite sporting club in any major Australian sporting code.
Speaking to SBS Punjabi he said, "My family came to live in Bendigo in the 1970s and I'm very lucky that my father developed a love for footy very early on. I know a lot of Indian migrants find it hard to adapt to the game, but in my case we went to many AFL matches and I played a lot of footy growing up."
Until recently, he continued playing as an amateur - all the while supporting Carlton as his chosen AFL team.
Seven years ago, he swapped Carlton's blue footy jumper to red and black, when he began working for St Kilda Football Club; today, on 11 December 2017, he is happily embracing another change, since he officially begins duties at AFL club Western Bulldogs as their CEO.
Ameet Bains, who has previously worked for St Kilda FC for seven years Source: Supplied
"This is a very exciting time to be joining Western Bulldogs," said Ameet. "They won the premiership in 2016 and have capitalised on it very well this year."
"AFL has actively encouraged participation from multicultural and indigenous communities for a few years now, and teams like Essendon have made a concerted outreach in the Indian / Punjabi community by running the Aus Kick program at Craigieburn Gurudwara."
"Now that I'm at Western Bulldogs, I hope to attract our community living in areas like Tarneit, Hoppers Crossing and Pt Cook, to AFL in larger numbers."
He also spoke of the possibility of hosting AFL fixtures in India sometime in the near future, similar to the scheduling of fixtures in China currently.
"I think it should be a lot easier to host games in India, because of the cricket grounds there, and the natural affiliation Indians have for all sports."
He encouraged everyone in the multicultural communities to participate more in AFL.
"There are more and more opportunities now for young boys and girls to get involved in footy - as a player, as a supporter and even to build a career within the AFL."
"I have a son and a daughter and each of them knows there are elite competitions they can participate in, as they grow."
"I think AFL is a great sport - more than anything it's fun. But also, since I've played it a lot, it's a great team sport that teaches you life skills like leadership, dealing with other people and working in a team."
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