GOAL: The club is determined to be a dominant force in Asia
KUALA LUMPUR: MANY may not believe it, but one of Asia’s strongest Aussie rules football teams is based right here in Kuala Lumpur.
Its existence as unlikely as a kangaroo hopping around Lake Gardens, the Malaysian Warriors Aussie Rules Club aren’t just a hobby club. They believe they will go on to dominate the sport in Asia in coming years.
Already with several titles under their belt, including the Changi Cup contested with Singapore and the Manila Cup, the Malaysian Warriors are looking to build on that, especially since they’ve got a helping hand from MaxMan.tv.
The recently launched male-specific online television channel (IPTV) will be featuring the Australian Football League (AFL) grand final between Sydney Swans and Collingdon this Friday, live.
There will also be a viewing party at the Havana Club in Changkat Bukit Bintang, expected to be attended by hordes of Australian expatriates.
Ahmad Izmir Mujab, chief executive officer of Izi Media Sdn Berhad, the operator of MaxMan.tv, said they have also cut a deal to bring AFL matches live on the channel.
“We’re a channel aimed specifically at men and we want to cater contents that are manly and Aussie rules football fits that billing,” said Ahmad Izmir.
“You can call us male chauvinists, but we’re aiming to cater for the male market, offering programmes that men will be interested in.”
Apart from AFL matches, viewers of MaxMan.tv will also have Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the popular mixed martial arts series, on its channel, which has been launched simultaneously in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Malaysian Warriors president Ben Simpson said the club were looking forward to the association with MaxMan.tv, particularly since the following for the sport is steadily developing around Asia.
“It blends well with us. This is an exciting sport where guys don’t mind a bit of blood and with MaxMan.tv providing the content, it can only be good for the sport,” said Simpson.
“We were established about 15 years ago and we’ve grown steadily over the years.
“It is a sport that has the biggest following, the best attendance and is the most watched in Australia. And it has at least a club in every major capital city in Asia, so it is spreading well here too.”
Simpson said the Warriors have done their part in helping promote the sport in Malaysia, mainly via a programme called OzKids, which introduces children to the sport.
Such programmes have been conducted at the St John’s Institution, the Australian International School and Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur.
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