More thunder from Down Under

The rough and tumble of Australian football, aka Aussie Rules, returns to China this weekend as the high-octane sport steps up its efforts to expand internationally.

The Australian Football League (AFL), the oval-ball game's topflight professional competition, will stage a regular-season match between the St. Kilda Saints and Port Adelaide Power at Shanghai's Jiangwan Stadium on Sunday.

"We represent a sport that is Australia's favorite game. It sits at the heart of our culture," Keith Thomas, CEO of Port Adelaide, told Xinhua. "It is a great vehicle for us to talk about Australia in China.

"We had 6,000 Australians travel to the game in Shanghai last year. The overwhelming feedback we received was that the experience really impressed them.

"Shanghai was so advanced, so exciting and dynamic.

"The fans who made the trip said they wouldn't necessarily have chosen China as a tourist destination had it not been for the game. But having gone, they would go again. That was very positive."

Two years ago, Port Adelaide, one of the AFL's oldest clubs with 36 premiership titles to its name since 1870, helped introduce Aussie Rules to China, where the game was almost totally unknown at the time.

This year's match will be the club's third appearance in Shanghai, which remains the only place in the Northern Hemisphere to host an AFL game.

"Port Adelaide has been a leader in engaging the Chinese market for the past few years and St. Kilda has sought the opportunity to join them in playing future premiership matches there," AFL operations general manager Travis Auld told Fox Sports. "To be able to commit to playing matches in Shanghai for at least the next three years will allow both clubs to develop long-term engagement strategies both here in Australia and in China."

The Saints will become the first AFL club to play for premiership points in three countries, following forays into New Zealand in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

"There's the commercial outcome, but it's also a chance to grow our fan base," Saints CEO Matt Finnis told Fox Sports. "Playing in China differentiates our club in a very competitive market.

"This is an opportunity that will significantly strengthen our club on so many levels. The backing of our players and coaches, the ability to invest immediately into our football program and the potential for short, medium and long-term commercial growth makes playing in China a very attractive proposition."