Courtesy: epaper.mailtoday.in

Published: 2nd November, 2013.

\The Australian Football League ( AFL) may be unknown to Indian sports fans. But Australian Rules Football, popularly known as Footy, hopes to make swift inroads into the Indian market, especially now with an Indian team on board.

Sudip Chakraborty, captain of the Indian Tigers AFL team, was hooked to the sport after watching it on TV. He also doubles up as the secretary general of AFL India and is quite upbeat about the sports future in the country.

“ People in India are unaware about the sport, but with support from the government and the corporates, footy has the potential to grow,” he said.

The Tigers have competed in two International Cups held in Australia against 20 other nations, and will compete again in 2014. The Australian High Commission in India has thrown its weight behind the game and has announced a partnership between the Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Football League to develop the game in the country.

An Indian team named Indian Tigers has already competed twice in the International Cup, held Down Under