Shanghai showcase set for June

It seems everyone wants a slice of the lucrative Chinese sports market as more and more top foreign leagues are coming here for special showcase events.

The NBA and the NHL have created the biggest splash, and the next one hoping to gain a higher profile with Chinese fans is the Australian Football League, which will kick off at Shanghai's Jiangwan Stadium on June 2 when the St. Kilda Saints take on the Port Adelaide Power in round 11 of the AFL's regular season.

When Port Adelaide, one of the oldest clubs in the AFL, helped introduce Aussie football to China two years ago, many thought it was a long shot since the game was almost totally unknown here. But this will mark the third appearance in Shanghai for the Power, which has won 36 league premierships since 1870.