The Asian Australian Football Championships, also known as the AFL Asian Championships or Asian Champs, is an annual tournament of Australian rules football between AFL Asia member clubs.
The tournament is considered the pinnacle of Asian Australian football calendar and is challenged by a growing number of teams from over a dozen Asian countries.
The competition consists of 3 open men's divisions, 1 women's division and a juniors division. A record 21 teams from 13 countries competed in 2018.
The 2023 event was contested in Bangkok, Thailand, on 9 September at the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club, Chon Buri.
Format The tournament is played over one day with all teams playing shortened games between 20 and 24 minutes duration, with reduced numbers and smaller field sizes. In each division, each team plays each other once then there is a knock-out finals series including Semi-Finals, Preliminary Final and Grand Final.
First division is played as a 16-a-side format. Second division is played in a 12-a-side format.
There are three Men's Divisions, Women's Division and an All-Asia Cup (only local players allowed).
Teams Team Home/city Province/Country Debut Men's Div 1 Titles Women's Div 1 Titles Bali Geckos Bali 2006 Cambodian Eagles Phnom Penh 2015 China Blues 2002 China Reds 2000 Dubai Heat Dubai 2007 3 Hong Kong Dragons Hong Kong 2000 6 Indonesian Bintangs Jakarta 2000 2 Indonesian Volcanoes Jakarta 2018 1 Jakarta Bintangs Jakarta 2005 Japan Goannas Tokyo 2005 Lao Elephants Vientiane 2008 Macau Lightning Macau 2010 Malaysian Warriors Kuala Lumpur 2009 1 1 Myanmar Fighting Cocks Yangon 2015 Pakistan Markhoors 2022 Philippine Eagles Manila 2013 1 PNG Muruks Port Moresby 2018 4 Singapore Wombats Singapore 2000 4 2 Thailand Tigers Bangkok 2007 Vietnam Swans 2000 2
History
The Asian Australian Football Championships were first held in 2000, although a precursor tournament named the Four Nations Cup was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1999.
There was an offer in 2005 to make the championships part of the Arafura Games, in Darwin, Australia, but this was turned down by Asian clubs.
In 2008, a junior division was introduced; however, this was short-lived.
While traditionally the tournament has been dominated by expat-Australian players, local players are becoming more prominent, with 40 local players from China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam competing in an East Asia vs South East Asia local player exhibition game in 2015. In 2016, an All-Asian Cup was held the day before the Asian Championships with three all-local player teams. In 2017, a local-player quota of 2 players per team was introduced. In 2015, the tournament was expanded to two divisions: a 16-a-side first division and a 12-a-side second division.
In 2018, the tournament also included a women's division with a record 21 teams from 13 countries competing.
Tournament Details
Year Date Venue Men's Div 1 Champions Women's Div 1 Champions Men's Div 2 Champions Men's Div 3 Champions All-Asia Cup Winners* Div 2 Plate Winners Junior Champions 2000 Jakarta, Indonesia Indonesian Bintangs - - - - - - 2001 Bangkok, Thailand Singapore Wombats - - - - - 2002 Singapore Indonesian Bintangs - - - - - - 2003 Hong Kong Hong Kong Dragons - - - - - - 2004 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Hong Kong Dragons - - - - - - 2005 Manila, Philippines Singapore Wombats - - - - - - 2006 Jakarta, Indonesia Singapore Wombats - - - - - - 2007 Bangkok, Thailand Hong Kong Dragons - - - - - - 2008 Singapore Dubai Heat - - - - - Jakarta Bulldogs 2009 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Dubai Heat - - - - - Jakarta Bulldogs 2010 Shanghai, China Dubai Heat - - - - - - 2011 Bangkok, Thailand Singapore Wombats - - - - - - 2012 Pattaya, Thailand Hong Kong Dragons - - - - - - 2013 17 August Pattaya, Thailand Hong Kong Dragons - - - - - - 2014 11 October Angeles City, Philippines Singapore Wombats - - - - - - 2015 17 October Bangkok, Thailand Hong Kong Dragons - Lao Elephants - - - - 2016 14–15 October Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Philippine Eagles - Bali Geckos - Indonesia Garudas - - 2017 21 October Manila, Philippines Malaysian Warriors - Bali Geckos - China Dragons - - 2018 13 October Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Indonesian Volcanoes Vietnam Swans PNG Muruks - China Dragons China Reds -2019 31 AugustPattaya, ThailandPNG MuruksMalaysian WarriorsVietnam Swans Japan Goannas - - -2020 Cancelled (due to COVID-19 pandemic)Statement: 2020 Asian Championships cancelled September 3, 2020Thailand2021 Cancelled (due to COVID-19 pandemic)Statement: 2021 Asian Championships cancelled August 16, 2021Thailand 2022 22 OctoberPlay HQ results AFL Asia Championships 2022 Bangkok Patana School Sport Complex, Bangkok, Thailand PNG Muruks Singapore Wombettes Thailand Tigers Pakistan Markhors - - - 2023 9 September Thai Polo and Equestrian Club, Chon Buri Bangkok, ThailandAsian Championships locked in for 2023 AFL Asia 9 March 2023 PNG Muruks Vietnam Swans Malaysian Warriors Philippine Eagles - - - 2024 31 AugustAsian Championships locked in for 2024 AFL Asia 27 February 2024 Thai Polo and Equestrian Club, Chon Buri Bangkok, Thailand PNG Muruks Singapore Wombettes Singapore Wombats Japan Goannas -All-Asia title deferred until AFL's Asia Cup in December 2024 - - All-Asia Cup – 2016: All-local player tournament played between Indonesia, China and Indo-China, 2017 and 2018: China vs AFL Asia Lions all-local player match played at the Shanghai AFL game.
See also
Australian rules football in Asia AFL Asia
References