Just how far-fetched is it to think one day an AFL team could be permanently based in Shanghai?

Gold Coast take to the field in Shanghai last year. Credit:AFL Media/Getty Images

After Port Adelaide and the Gold Coast played the first ever game in China for premiership points last year, they were met with a typical chorus of naysayers. Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett didn’t mince his words when he described it as “an absolute waste of time and money”.

Undeterred, Port and the Gold Coast are heading back to do it all again in Shanghai this weekend. And the idea that the AFL could one day expand beyond our national shores may not be as fanciful as many might think.

Shanghai is the biggest city in China, home to more than 25 million people. China has a population of over 1.3 billion. Shanghai is also home to several big Chinese businesses who just might be interested in introducing themselves to the Australian market by leveraging a sponsorship with a club in Australia's most popular football code.