Aussie rules is increasing in popularity in China, with the local state TV network broadcasting select games from the Australian regular season throughout the year.
Leighton Lin is the coach and captain of the Dongguan Blues, China's first home-grown domestic club.
Suring a three-month development tour in Australia, he hosted an Aussie rules clinic for Year 8 students at Koonung Secondary College in Melbourne's east.
He ran the skills and coaching techniques clinic, in the hope of further developing the sport in China and the relationship between the two countries.
"Australia and China have very different cultural values but we would like to use AFL to get people on both continents to share the same values," he said.
While the Dongguan Blues have helped to establish other teams in Guangdong province over the past five years, most are made up of Australian expats.
Leighton Lin teaching students at Koonung SC Source: SBS
This year the Blues will set up the country's first female Chinese team.
Lin said for China to reach the next level in establishing a domestic league they needed to attract sponsorship.
"We would like to start teaching Australian rules football in schools in China, and attract some sponsors to get it better promoted," he said.
The starting point, he said, was to attract new players to the game and he's happy to start with Australia's culturally diverse communities.
And some, like Nanako Masuda of Japanese heritage, were willing to learn more.
Dongguan Blues FC Source: Supplied
"I usually follow soccer or basketball, I'm not a big AFL fan but with Leighton teaching... maybe I'll learn," she said.
Others like Amanda Ling, who was the Whitehorse Colts best and fairest player, are already a devotees of the game.
The aspiring AFL player said she believed the game had global potential.
"It's just so much fun to play," she said.
"I think it's big enough to go all around the world."
While not everyone wants to play Aussie rules, Lin and Dongguan Blues Australian liaison manager Darrell Egan were hoping to influence more people to support the game in both countries.
Darrell Egan and Leighton Lin Source: SBS
With soccer rapidly catching Aussie rules in terms of popularity in Australia, Egan said more work needed to be done to recruit Australia's migrant communities to the sport.
"That could have a lot to do with different demographics coming to Australia like Chinese migrants, who see it as more acceptable to play soccer," he said.
"We need to get into our multicultural community a lot more and we believe our program can do that."
The Dongguan Blues are also working towards establishing an exchange program to get seasoned Australian players to visit the Chinese leagues and share their skills and experiences.
Egan said it's not football talent China lacks, but coaches and development programs.
"In skill development, in spreading the game out further," he said.
"We have 106 million people in Guangdong, it's all hands on deck to develop the game over there."
