McLachlan eyes AFL’s exciting future through Irish series
International Rules Test shows ambition of the game, says Australian Football League (AFL) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gillon McLachlan keeping the critics at bay.
As Australians arrive at Croke Park and starts training on Tuesday undeterred by a damp and cold Dublin, boss McLachlan sees a promising future through the Australia vs Ireland match.
McLachlan, arriving in Dublin for the IRS (International Rules Series) match held on Saturday at Croke Park, spoke to AFL’s official site about how he loves the concept of International Rules Test. He is set to officially meet Gaelic Athletic Association this Friday. The concept of the sports, as he says, reveals the aspiration and ambition that the game stands for. He also praised the all-inclusive nature of the game.
“That is at the core of our game, giving all supporters of a club an equal opportunity for their team to win.” McLachlan said. “…regardless of size, all clubs and their supporters, have an ability to compete.”
McLachlan has already spoken high of the concept of IRS to Financial Times last month.
Although AFL failed to put on a good show two years ago and the series had to go under a complete overhaul, it now has opted for a better selection process to make sure that the best Australian team is picked to contest Ireland’s best players.
The league was not worried even when critics raised a row in 2013. McLachlan Has been determined that he was to look and invest beyond that one-time failure.
McLachlan encouraging Australian players to explore international turf shows that he wants to grow AFL in other parts of the world. Since AFL’s rising popularity is limited to homeland, IRS works a good deal to spread the sports overseas. According to Financial Times, the AFL has expanded to 30,000 registered players in New Zealand already. Every two years, Australians also play with an Irish football team.
The Australian squad is ready to take on Ireland at Croke Park and the match will be televised on Sunday morning in Australia.
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