David Schwarz has echoed the thoughts of Kevin Sheedy and believes the AFL should be looking to try and grow the game further overseas, with more matches.
Port Adelaide will play Gold Coast in a historic game in China this year, while St Kilda hosted games in Wellington, during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
“Kevin’s right, if you bury your head in the sand and you just keep the game here, yeah the game will thrive and it will be okay,” Schwarz said on SEN’s The Run Home.
“But if you want it to explode on the Launchpad, want it to take off, you are going to need to explore at least.” Schwarz has urged the AFL to invest some money into a venture and says if it doesn’t come off, at least you have had a look.
“Invest a little bit, I wouldn’t invest a GWS or Gold Coast amount of money into it, but certainly if the opportunity’s there (have a go),” he said.
“Whether it’s China, whether it’s India, wherever it may be, we’ve done New Zealand, so if the opportunity’s there to put on a game, if it works you continue on with it, if it doesn’t work, what’s the harm?
“You might lose one million or two million, but it’s not a big deal.
“I think it’s worth having a look.”
Sheedy has recently returned from a trip to India, and says by not looking, it is taking a very short-sighted approach, based on the success the league has had with international players in recent years.
“I think if you don’t look in your lifetime outside Australia, I think you’re doing the wrong thing,” he told Hungry for Sport.
“It’s taken 158 years to get the game to what it is in Australia. I’m just saying if you don’t start somewhere you won’t know (how far it could grow).
“How does a person like Mike Pyke find out about AFL and come and play in a premiership, and get in the best six players playing in the ruck for the Swans? It didn’t just fall out of the air.
“Somewhere he actually connected with the game and thought I might try that, and then all of a sudden we’ve had about a team of internationals come in the last decade.”