It has the Indigenous round, a Pride Game, and now the AFL is staging its first ever 'China-themed' match.
Sydney will host Perth's West Coast Eagles at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for the history-making game, which takes place in the same week as the annual , known as Duanwu Jie.
Swans CEO Tom Harley said Saturday afternoon's match was about "celebrating the contribution of Chinese Australians to the AFL".
"Our club is committed to making everyone feel welcome at the football," he told SBS News in a statement.
"We recognise that there is a significant Chinese community in Sydney and there are plenty of people within that community who are already passionate about the Swans and the AFL.
"But we also recognise there's a significant part of our local Chinese community who are new to AFL and haven’t been to a game."
To encourage more AFL newcomers to embrace Australian rules football, the club has made 2,500 free tickets available through universities and community organisations for those who've never been to a match before.
What will the 'China-themed' match involve?
A pre-match function at the SCG will be attended by senior Chinese government officials, including , and its consul general in Sydney, Zhou Limin.
Senior Chinese-Australian business and trade figures will also be at the Duanwu Sports Diplomacy Forum-hosted lunch.
Before the start of the match, one of Australia's oldest dance troupes, the Jin Wu Koon Dragon and Lion Dance Association, will perform.
A dragon dance will be performed before the first bounce. Credit: Jin Wu Koon Dragon & Lion Dance Association
It explores the history of Chinese involvement in the game, dating all the way back to the 1800s, and profiles several players.
How many AFL players have Chinese ancestry?
Some 1.4 million people in Australia have Chinese ancestry, with Mandarin the most popular language other than English spoken at home, according to .
China is also the third most common overseas place of birth for Australians, behind India.
Despite that, there have been disproportionately few people with Asian ancestry involved in Australian rules football at a professional level.
SBS News asked the AFL how many current and former players, coaching staff, and administrators in the men's and women's leagues have Asian ancestry, but wasn't provided with an answer by deadline.
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Outgoing AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said the league would "love" to have a star player with Chinese ancestry.
"I think that would really that would really connect Chinese-Australians with our game," he told 3AW earlier this month.
Mr McLachlan also revealed discussions have taken place internally about establishing an AFL Academy specifically for players with Chinese and Indian ancestry.
"If you want an elite player or you want kids getting drafted, how do you really invest in that, because it would be huge for the growth of our game if we could have players of Indian or Chinese descent playing at the elite level," he said.
"There is a lot of good players I see across the southern metro (area of Melbourne) of Chinese descent … I'm optimistic."
On Friday night, the AFL announced an investment of $560,000 to establish pilot School Village Models across Hurstville and Paramatta to boost accessibility to the sport in culturally diverse communities in NSW.
The Hurstville model will include a three-year commitment to creating a Future Stars Program that will identify up-and-coming players, particularly those with Chinese heritage.
Those players will participate in specialised coaching sessions with AFL and Sydney Swans development coaches.
AFL executive general manager game development, Rob Auld, said the investment would be key in driving participation and engagement in culturally diverse communities.
"We know Hurstville has a high Chinese Australian population and this initiative aims to build relationships, increase engagement and participation of footy in this community," he said.
"The creation of our Future Stars Program in Hurstville will provide greater opportunities for local talented athletes, particularly those with Chinese heritage, to progress through the AFL pathway."
What else is being done to increase Asian involvement in the AFL?
Three AFL games hosted by Port Adelaide between 2017 and 2019, before coming to a halt in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are also four Aussie rules leagues across the Asian continent: South East Asia, South China, Guangdong, and North East Asia.
Each year, AFL Asia member clubs from more than a dozen countries in the region compete in the Asian Australian Football Championships.
