Australian Football League (AFL) club Port Adelaide FC reportedly wants to further promote the sport of Australian rules football to the mainland China audience as the league's viewership continues to grow through the years.

Australian rules football is quite different from the familiar association football game played in the Chinese Super League and China League One.

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For one, the balls used are different as an oval one is utilized in Aussie footy (another name for the sport) while the common round soccer ball is what people see in association football. Another is the shape of the pitch, which is square for soccer while oval again for Aussie rules.

Furthermore, Aussie footy is also being competed by two teams of 18 players each, compared to association football's 11, and a player can also touch the ball with his hands in this sport.

These are just some of the differences between the two disciplines and "to avoid confusion, the sport will be translated directly into Chinese as Australia style oval ball", according to ECNS.

Port Adelaide, who is currently at ninth place in the 18-team 2016 AFL season, had been one of the most successful clubs in Aussie footy history and the team's China and Government Relations General Manager Andrew Hunter recently commented that they had already begun cultivating the Chinese market since 2013.

"We know (Australian) football doesn't have a history in China. We don't think there is anything mysterious about our sport. It's a fast, exciting sport," said Hunter, via China.org. "We believe it's a great sport for spectators with high scoring. There are extraordinary players playing Australian Football. So there is no reason why it wouldn't be popular in China."

The report then noted that promotion of Aussie footy in China started three years ago when Chen Shaoliang, who is believed to be the first Chinese to play the sport and now a member of Port Adelaide, introduced it to his hometown Guangzhou and founded a local team.

Hunter then went on to say that the team is focusing on three factors to make their project a success, namely broadcasting, social media, and playing exhibition matches in China.

TagsChina sports, Australian Football League, Australian rules football, Port Adelaide FC, Australia style oval ball