Following reports on Friday that Adelaide and Essendon were planning to take the AFL to India in 2018 for a pre-season match, the Herald Sun confirmed on Friday night Richmond and GWS are looking to go one step further.
The Tigers and Giants are keen to play a match for premiership points on the subcontinent next season, with the match likely to take place during the mid-season bye rounds.
GWS would host the fixture, so the Tiger faithful don't lose out on playing all 11 home games in Melbourne.
Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale confirmed the news to the Herald Sun, and suggested the Tigers are keen to work alongside GWS in a bid to make the historic event happen.
“Both clubs have the ambition to play for premiership points in Mumbai as early as next year,” Gale said.
“Clearly, there is a lot of work to be done to make this a reality, but we are absolutely committed to working with the Giants.
“India is a massive market and the commercial implications in the mid-to-long term could be very significant, so as a business we need to genuinely explore the opportunity.
“A game in India for four points would be a serious statement of intent and a foundation for us to build on.”
A GWS spokesperson added “We are aware there is a significant amount of work to do before the ambition of playing an AFL game for points in India can be realised, but we look forward to continuing talks with the AFL and the Tigers.
“Indian-born migrants are the third largest population group in Sydney, with many settling in Western Sydney.”
Richmond believe the tiger is a big selling point for their involvement in the fixture, given the tiger is India's national animal.
This would be the second match outside of Australia and New Zealand for premiership points in the competition's history, following Port Adelaide's clash with Gold Coast in China in round eight this season.
