Chinese Community in Australia
Chinese Australians have been playing Australian rules football since the late 19th century. The Ballarat Chinese Football Premiership was covered extensively between 1892 and 1896, in local newspapers.
Wally Koochew played four games for Carlton during 1908, in the Victorian Football League (VFL), becoming the league's first Chinese Australian player.
Between 1973 and 1985, Les Fong was a prominent and acclaimed player in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL), which held equal status to the VFL during that period. He was also selected for six State of Origin games for the Western Australian team, including the first such game (1977). Fong played 284 games for West Perth in the WAFL and remains the club's longest-serving captain (1980–85).
At present there are a number of Chinese Australian players in suburban and amateur leagues, perhaps most notably with the Southern Dragons, in Divisions 2 and 3 of the Victorian Southern Football League.
In August 2012, Lin Jong, a player with the Western Bulldogs of Taiwanese and East Timorese background, was elevated to the senior list and made his debut against Richmond.
Read more about this topic: Australian Rules Football In China
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