The AFL today announced that the Lions will face Melbourne at the Jiangwan Sports Centre in Shanghai on Sunday 17 October 2010. The stadium at the Jiangwan Sports Centre in the Yangpu District has a capacity of up to 30,000 spectators and it's hoped that two local university teams will participate in a curtain raiser to the main game.
Brisbane Lions Chief Executive Michael Bowers said the Club was really looking forward to being part of next year's international event already.
"Our Club is honoured to be part of showcasing the best of Australian football and culture to the rest of the world together with the Melbourne Football Club," Mr Bowers said.
"It is certain to be a landmark event that will put both our players and the AFL on show at what promises to be the largest World Expo ever," he said.
"Shanghai is the biggest city in the world's most populated country and more than 70 million visitors are expected to tour the Expo's anticipated 200 exhibitors throughout its six-month duration."
"This AFL exhibition match also presents a wonderful avenue for promoting our Club and code to a massive international market with a view to growing business and sporting partnerships."
AFL's General Manager of National and International Development David Matthews believes the match is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Australian football.
"We are extremely excited to be able to bring Australia's indigenous game and all its unique skills to Shanghai as we continue to develop the code internationally," Mr Matthews said.
It will be the Brisbane Lions' third official international match in their history - and the first ever played in Asia - after the Lions previously competed in pre-season clashes against Fremantle in Cape Town, South Africa (1998) and the Adelaide Crows in Wellington, New Zealand (2001).
The AFL will feature prominently at the World Expo as Australia's leading football code, contributing $3.4 billion annually to the Australian economy and with 7 million people attending AFL each year. There are nearly 700,000 registered participants across Australia (with more than 100,000 in Queensland) and 45,000 players across 35 countries around the world.
