The AFL's first overseas Premiership season game is a stepping stone towards the competition eventually having a New Zealand-based Aussie Rules team, says AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
McLachlan says tonight's match between St Kilda and Sydney in Wellington is the ideal time and place to start, given the cultural and geographical links between the two nations.
He says a New Zealand-based team is a long term goal and there are also potential opportunities to take matches elsewhere in the world.
More than 20 thousand spectators are expected at Westpac Stadium tonight with St Kilda to host two games in Wellington for the next four seasons from next year onwards, including an annual Anzac Day fixture.
