Brodie McDougall
President
AFL Shanghai
What brought you to China?
We moved to China in August 2006 for a new adventure. It has been a fantastic cultural, social and business experience, Shanghai is now truly an international city. I was transferred to Shanghai with my company, Michael Page, and focused on building our local team to recruit finance professionals.
Why did you want to become involved with Shanghai Eagles?
I am the President of Shanghai AFL and was involved in establishing our domestic league, which includes the West Shanghai Dockers, North Shanghai Crows and Shanghai Eagles.
What is your relationship like with your Shanghai Eagles teammates?
The Shanghai Eagles is a great mix of people who are passionate about footy. We have players with a variety of nationalities, including Australian, Chinese, Mexicans, Americans and Irish. We all share common values of enjoying our sport, working together in a team and celebrating our wins! AFL in China is still in its early days but the local community love the fast paced action and the meat pies after the game!
How do you support/follow the AFL while you are overseas?
In Shanghai, the Eagles home is at “The Camel” which is owned by a group of Australians. They show every AFL game live and it’s a great meeting place to discuss tactics and watch some footy. The Grand Final is a real highlight with over 500 people attending to enjoy the game.
What do your friends/family abroad think of AFL?
We have recently welcomed our firstborn to the world and my Mother brought an Eagles baby membership within 2 hours of the little one’s birth! Now that’s passion for the game! As a native from Perth, AFL was introduced to me at an early age, from Freeball / Auskick to seniors. Having now been activity involved in AFL in China for 4 years, I now really see the importance of sport within a community.
Which AFL team do you follow?
Eagles
If you could recruit one AFL star to play with the Shanghai Eagles who would it be and why?
Nic Nat - he would be a great ambassador to our Chinese players on how to play our great game!
If you could invite one AFL coach to dinner who would it be?
Sheedy - he hosted a players evening in Shanghai last year and his vision and passion for AFL was unparalleled.
How successful have you been in recruiting locals to participate in AFL?
This is the long term strategy to really develop the game in China. We have Andrew Sawitsch, AFL Development Officer, based in Shanghai and he is actively involved in teaching Auskick to several universities and schools. Given that most young Chinese play basketball, their ball handling skills are very good and some have already made an excellent transition to AFL. In time, we plan to have significantly higher participation from Chinese nationals in our domestic league.
Do you see interest in AFL and involvement in Shanghai Eagles growing in the future?
Yes, absolutely, there is an excellent opportunity to encourage Chinese to watch and play AFL. The AFL are hosting a exhibition game in Shanghai between the Brisbane Lions and Melbourne Demons in October which is the first professional game in China and is generating plenty of interest.
How is playing in Australia different to playing in China?
We currently play a hybrid competition with 12 a side on a slightly smaller field with plenty of open spaces to encourage free flowing football. We split the season into two sections, Spring and Autumn leagues as mid-year is two hot!
What are you expecting for season 2010?
We are aiming to continue to develop our team and footy culture in Shanghai with enjoyment of playing footy in China. The ultimate goal is to win the inaugural domestic premiership in Shanghai and support West Coast in the AFL to play in September!
