They rule world sport anyway, but now it seems that the Australians have another plan for world domination: export their national game. And so a team from the International Australian Football Council (IAFC) has landed in India with the express intention of teaching their game — Australian Rules Football — to us.‘‘All the balls we play with are Made in India. Surely some of the guys kick it around a bit while making them. Surely from a billion people we’ll find enough to make a proper team,’’ says IAFC president Brian Clarke, only half in jest. India is his latest stopover, after New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Japan . It takes a brave man to suppose things that can be supposed in other countries. But Clarke, in the middle of a practice session with 50-odd boys — mostly overweight and unable to kick the ball very far — gathered from among cricketers and footballers from various states, sounds positive. He says, ‘‘Oh, these are not the worst I have seen. These boys have never played with a ball this shape and they are totally clueless about the game. It’ll take time.’’ The trip fell in place after Vinoda Rani, chief of the Indian Amateur Australian Football Association (IAAFA) got in touch with Clarke a few years back after surfing the Internet for details. She liked the idea and, as IAAFA secretary general D R Vashisht says, ‘‘Wanted to develop the sport in India by forming the necessary state associations and trying to create enthusiasm about the sport.’’Clarke, a lawyer by training, has been involved with the game for over 20 years — ‘‘as a player with a club in Melbourne, a coach, an umpire and an administrator’’. He feels that the game should catch on in India, because ‘‘football and cricket are very popular in India. In Australia, most cricketers, including Shane Warne and Darren Lehmann, relax by playing Aussie Rules. It’s not a brutal game. In the last 10 years, over 40 countries have started playing the game. Why not India?’’But isn’t it strange that in Australia itself, the popularity of the game is waning, with soccer (as a study conducted recently showed) and cricket ruling the roost? ‘‘Oh, that’s mostly among the youngsters. In the 25-plus age groups, ARF is more popular..’’What happens now? Clarke will leave behind training material — including videos— and has promised visits from other experts. What he’d do well to leave behind is a large dose of his typical Aussie enthusiasm.
