Current season, competition or edition: 2023 Asian Australian Football Championships | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 2000 |
| Country | Host: Bangkok, Thailand |
| Most recent champion(s) |  PNG Muruks (men) Singapore Wombettes (women) |
| Most titles |  Hong Kong Dragons(men; 6 titles)  Vietnam Swans (women; 2 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | YouTube[1] |
| Official website | AFL Asia Australian Football Championships |
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[2] 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 will be 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 3 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 |  Indonesia |
2006 | ||
| Cambodian Eagles | Phnom Penh |  Cambodia |
2015 | ||
| China Blues |  China |
2002 | |||
| China Reds | China |
2000 | |||
| Dubai Heat | Dubai |  United Arab Emirates |
2007 | 3 | |
| Hong Kong Dragons | Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
2000 | 6 | |
| Indonesian Bintangs | Jakarta | Indonesia |
2000 | 2 | |
| Indonesian Volcanoes | Jakarta | Indonesia |
2018 | 1 | |
| Jakarta Bintangs | Jakarta | Indonesia |
2005 | ||
| Japan Goannas | Tokyo |  Japan |
2005 | ||
| Lao Elephants | Vientiane |  Laos |
2008 | ||
| Macau Lightning | Macau |  Macau |
2010 | ||
| Malaysian Warriors | Kuala Lumpur |  Malaysia |
2009 | 1 | 1 |
| Myanmar Fighting Cocks | Yangon |  Myanmar |
2015 | ||
| Pakistan Markhoors |  Pakistan |
2022 | |||
| Philippine Eagles | Manila |  Philippines |
2013 | 1 | |
| PNG Muruks | Port Moresby | Papua New Guinea |
2018 | 3 | |
| Singapore Wombats | Singapore | Singapore |
2000 | 4 | 1 |
| Thailand Tigers | Bangkok |  Thailand |
2007 | ||
| Vietnam Swans | Vietnam |
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.[3] 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, with 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[4] | |
| 2009 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Dubai Heat | - | - | - | - | - | Jakarta Bulldogs[5] | |
| 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 | 11th October | Angeles City, Philippines | Singapore Wombats [6] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2015 | 17th October | Bangkok, Thailand | Hong Kong Dragons [7] | - | Lao Elephants | - | - | - | - |
| 2016 | 14th-15th October | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Philippine Eagles [8] | - | Bali Geckos | - | Indonesia Garudas | - | - |
| 2017 | 21st October | Manila, Philippines | Malaysian Warriors | - | Bali Geckos | - | China Dragons | - | - |
| 2018 | 13th October | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Indonesian Volcanoes | Vietnam Swans | PNG Muruks | - | China Dragons | China Reds | - |
| 2019 | 31st August | Pattaya, Thailand | PNG Muruks[9] | Malaysian Warriors | Vietnam Swans | Japan Goannas | - | - | - |
| 2020 | Cancelled (due to COVID-19 pandemic)[10] | Thailand | |||||||
| 2021 | Cancelled (due to COVID-19 pandemic)[11] | Thailand | |||||||
| 2022 | 22 October[12] | 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, Thailand[13] | PNG Muruks | Vietnam Swans | Malaysian Warriors | Philippine Eagles | - | - | - |
- 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
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/@aflasia473/featured AFL Asian Championships (Live and on-demand coverage)
- ↑ "Home". afl-asia.com.
- ↑ "HK Dragons win their 6th Asian Champs". 19 October 2015.
- ↑ "Under 16s Asian Championships - Bulldogs maul Wombats, slay Dragons and club Cubs - World Footy News". www.worldfootynews.com. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ↑ "2009 Asian Championships - Full Results - World Footy News". www.worldfootynews.com. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ↑ "Singapore Wombats win 2014 Asian Championships". 29 October 2014.
- ↑ "HK Dragons win their 6th Asian Champs". 19 October 2015.
- ↑ "Phillipine [sic] Eagles win 'Best Ever' Asian Championship - World Footy News".
- ↑ "Awards & Champions of Asia -". 10 September 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ↑ Statement: 2020 Asian Championships cancelled September 3, 2020
- ↑ Statement: 2021 Asian Championships cancelled August 16, 2021
- ↑ Play HQ results AFL Asia Championships 2022
- ↑ Asian Championships locked in for 2023 AFL Asia 9 March 2023