Gold Coast to play Port Adelaide in China

China will host its first ever AFL premiership match next year, with Gold Coast set to be Port Adelaide’s opponents.

The Power announced last week they would be the first club to play a match in the world’s most populated country and the Suns have confirmed they will be Port Adelaide’s hosts.

It’s understood Gold Coast, who have the added benefit of being a renowned Australian tourist destination for travellers from Asia, beat out Melbourne, GWS and Collingwood to be Port Adelaide’s rival for the clash.

Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane, who was also in charge of the V8 Supercars when they signed a broadcast deal in China, confirmed they will be paid around $600,000 for the trip.

The move will also further benefit their sponsorship agreement with Chinese technology company Huawei, along with their stadium sponsorship from Metricon.

“The most important thing from our club’s point of view is it gives us the chance to be noticed nationally and helps to put us a bit further up on the stage than we currently are,” Cochrane told SEN’s Morning Breakfast.

Cochrane also said he believed the club’s members would accept the reasoning behind the decision to give up one of their home games in 2017.

“The vast majority of our members will be completely on board with it,” he said.

“Our members on the Gold Coast understand tourism because we are a tourism capital.”

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