China
Team profile: China Red Demons
Country snapshot
ONE FIFTH of the world’s people live in China. Smaller in area that the United States, China has four times the number of people, with a population of 1.3 billion consisting of 56 different ethnicities.
The Chinese have the oldest known calendar, dating back to 2600 B.C. Based on lunar cycles, one calendar cycle takes 60 years to complete.
Gun powder, paper and the compass are some of the inventions to come out of China. Ice-cream was first eaten there around 2000 BC, when a rice and milk mixture was packed into the snow to create a frozen treat. Around the same time, it is believed the Chinese used forks to eat, long before chopsticks became the utensil of choice (there is no evidence to suggest either were used to consume ice-cream).
China is a living example of old-meets-new, with millions living a subsistence lifestyle, while major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have become part of the modern global economy.
Famous for: The Great Wall, typhoons, kung fu, Buddhism, Taoism, Falun Gong, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army, Confucius, Jackie Chan, the giant panda.
Australian football history
China’s AFL link was established when the Melbourne Demons introduced its China Strategy more than 18 months ago, designed to increase links with the Chinese community in Melbourne and promote interest in the game abroad.
The strategy gave two Chinese players, Zhao Wei and Zhao Yong Gen, the opportunity to train in Australia with the Melbourne Football Club on a two-week pre-season development scholarship.
The city of Tianjin has announced it is investing $1.5 million to develop an Australian football ground, and it is hoped that an exhibition match will be played at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Footy has caught on rapidly in schools and universities, and the Chinese Red Demons will compete in their first International Cup this year.
Jumper colour/design
Red and gold featuring People’s Republic of China stars.
Secret weapons
Melbourne Demons scholarship player and International Captain Zhao Yong Gen has the benefit of his AFL club experience, while tall utility Wang Lei has been playing since 2006.
Ruckman Gao 'Lurch' Run Dong sounds like he could scare the opposition into a turnover if unsuccessful in the tap-out.
Chinese are naturals at footy because…
The Chinese are naturally determined and competitive. According to AFL China Development Manager Andrew Sawitsch: “When China decides to do something, for example build a wall, a forbidden city or hold the Olympic Games, they will go all out and do it to the extreme and to the best of their ability.”
Squad nicknames
Sawitsch explains that in Chinese language, putting 'ah' before a given name is an affectionate or friendly term.
'A Lun’ and 'A Gen' from the squad are essentially the equivalent of a Wazza and Davo.
Plugger has a lot to live up to, and Lurch you’ve already met. Considering the team has two players surnamed 'Zhao' and seven nicknamed 'Zhang' (none related), a few more monikers may be required for on-field communication purposes.
The hardest thing about playing footy in China
It can be difficult finding fields large enough to play 18-a-side. A nine-a-side competition run on soccer pitches may be the way of the future.
Lost in translation
There is no clear word for a 'goal', as distinct from a behind – perhaps due to the influence of other sports such as basketball and soccer, where no distinction in scores is necessary. Importantly, players know to score ‘six-pointers’ in preference to ‘one-pointers’.
ONE FIFTH of the world’s people live in China. Smaller in area that the United States, China has four times the number of people, with a population of 1.3 billion consisting of 56 different ethnicities.
The Chinese have the oldest known calendar, dating back to 2600 B.C. Based on lunar cycles, one calendar cycle takes 60 years to complete.
Gun powder, paper and the compass are some of the inventions to come out of China. Ice-cream was first eaten there around 2000 BC, when a rice and milk mixture was packed into the snow to create a frozen treat. Around the same time, it is believed the Chinese used forks to eat, long before chopsticks became the utensil of choice (there is no evidence to suggest either were used to consume ice-cream).
China is a living example of old-meets-new, with millions living a subsistence lifestyle, while major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have become part of the modern global economy.
Famous for: The Great Wall, typhoons, kung fu, Buddhism, Taoism, Falun Gong, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army, Confucius, Jackie Chan, the giant panda.
Australian football history
China’s AFL link was established when the Melbourne Demons introduced its China Strategy more than 18 months ago, designed to increase links with the Chinese community in Melbourne and promote interest in the game abroad.
The strategy gave two Chinese players, Zhao Wei and Zhao Yong Gen, the opportunity to train in Australia with the Melbourne Football Club on a two-week pre-season development scholarship.
The city of Tianjin has announced it is investing $1.5 million to develop an Australian football ground, and it is hoped that an exhibition match will be played at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Footy has caught on rapidly in schools and universities, and the Chinese Red Demons will compete in their first International Cup this year.
Jumper colour/design
Red and gold featuring People’s Republic of China stars.
Secret weapons
Melbourne Demons scholarship player and International Captain Zhao Yong Gen has the benefit of his AFL club experience, while tall utility Wang Lei has been playing since 2006.
Ruckman Gao 'Lurch' Run Dong sounds like he could scare the opposition into a turnover if unsuccessful in the tap-out.
Chinese are naturals at footy because…
The Chinese are naturally determined and competitive. According to AFL China Development Manager Andrew Sawitsch: “When China decides to do something, for example build a wall, a forbidden city or hold the Olympic Games, they will go all out and do it to the extreme and to the best of their ability.”
Squad nicknames
Sawitsch explains that in Chinese language, putting 'ah' before a given name is an affectionate or friendly term.
'A Lun’ and 'A Gen' from the squad are essentially the equivalent of a Wazza and Davo.
Plugger has a lot to live up to, and Lurch you’ve already met. Considering the team has two players surnamed 'Zhao' and seven nicknamed 'Zhang' (none related), a few more monikers may be required for on-field communication purposes.
The hardest thing about playing footy in China
It can be difficult finding fields large enough to play 18-a-side. A nine-a-side competition run on soccer pitches may be the way of the future.
Lost in translation
There is no clear word for a 'goal', as distinct from a behind – perhaps due to the influence of other sports such as basketball and soccer, where no distinction in scores is necessary. Importantly, players know to score ‘six-pointers’ in preference to ‘one-pointers’.
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