AFL Asia 2018 Asian Championships & AFLW Asian Championships
The growth and development of footy within AFL Asia has taken another substantial leap forward throughout the 2018 season and will be further enhanced with the culmination of the inaugural AFLW Asian Championships and the biggest ever ‘Asian Championships’, which will be hosted by the 2017 AFL Asia Champions – The Malaysian Warriors, in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday October 13th.
The AFL Asia 2018 Asian Championships and AFLW Asian Championships will be jointly held on 3 ovals for the first time, at the ‘Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort’ and will see records tumble, as at least 22 teams are expected to register and participate in AFL Asia’s showcase event. The back-to-back Division 2 Champions Bali Geckos will test themselves against the best in Asia, as they make the big jump into Division 1 for the first time, since the two division system was introduced back in 2015.
6 Division 1 teams will fight it out for the ultimate glory in Asian footy, with last years Grand Finalist’s the Philippine Eagles (2016 Asian Champions), Hong Kong Dragons (6 x Asian Champions), Jakarta Bintangs (Twice Asian Champions, as the Indonesian Bintangs), Singapore Wombats (6 x Asian Champions) and the Geckos, all striving to go to another level to knock off the current Asian Champions, the Malaysian Warriors from the top of the tree on their home turf, in what will be an extremely open affair.
Whilst numbers are yet to be confirmed – Division 2 will see a minimum of 12 teams placed into 2 groups and battle it out in a what is expected to be a very open and intriguing division this year. Based on current form, the Cambodian Eagles and the Vietnam Swans are expected to be the measuring sticks, but don’t discount the Myanmar Shewe Chinthes and the PNG Muruks, who are expected to feature highly this year.
Anticipation is reaching mammoth proportions as AFL Asia’s first ever AFLW Asian Championships is finally on the horizon and promises to be a fantastic spectacle with an enormous amount of interest. The hosting Malaysian Warrior Women’s, Cambodia Apsaras, Vietnam Swans and Hong Kong Dragons are all confirmed starters and it is expected that a merged ‘Barbarian’s’ team will contribute towards making it 5 competitive teams, all with the vision of chasing the first ever silverware on offer at this level.
The focus on local development that has become a major part of AFL Asia’s mantra will continue to be at the forefront of this year’s 19th Asian Championships, with last year’s ‘Local Player Policy’ being maintained and no other additional changes being introduced to the existing ‘Match Rules and Regulations’ document, which can be found in the link below. It is important to note that there will be no restrictions on ‘local players’ or capped squads within this year’s inaugural AFL Asia AFLW Asian Championships.
The Malaysian Warriors have planned an informative, smooth-moving, innovative and well-organized Asian Championships Prospectus, which also includes an impressive Post Tournament Function, that’ll add another dimension to what has previously existed in the past. Teams will also be relieved to know that the travelling distance between their team’s hotels and the tournament venue has been significantly reduced and is expected to only take 15-25mins.
For everything you need to know about this year’s 2018 Asian Championships – Please click on the Asian Champs Prospectus link below.
Download Match Rules and Regulations
By Matt Gale, AFL Asia President
