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American football heading to China in 2015
The China American Football League plans to begin in the worldâs most populous country in 2015
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T
he China American Football League plans to begin in the world's most populous country in 2015. The announcement Thursday comes less than a year after Marty Judge, co-owner of the Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul, sponsored the first American football game in China.
The indoor league is expected to start with six to eight teams. The franchises will be in major Chinese cities and feature American and Chinese players.
Judge said they'll follow Arena league rules and have 20-man rosters that will include 12 Chinese players. Many AFL players, coaches and referees are expected to participate in the CAFL, which will start in the fall after the AFL season ends. Judge already set up coach/referee camps at six sports universities around China in 2013.
'They really don't have contact sports there,' said Judge, who replaced rocker Jon Bon Jovi as the Soul's owner. 'The Chinese government loved the idea, appreciate the work we've put it in and that's why it got approval.'
