The AFL is rolling out a new vodcast, Who Do You Barrack For?, in an effort to engage South Asian Australians with footy culture, history and team allegiances. The series is hosted by sports writer and broadcaster Bharat Sundaresan, who brings a fresh, curious perspective to the game—having followed it closely since arriving in Australia, but still without a chosen club.
Launching Friday, 2 May, the vodcast is part of the newly formed AFL Desi initiative, which aims to offer a welcoming entry point for South Asians in Australia keen to understand the game and its deep roots across the country. Each episode features a conversation with well-known personalities about their footy fandom and club loyalty—among them Waleed Aly, Mitch Starc, Alyssa Healy, Damien Fleming (joined by his AFLW star daughter Jasmyn), and seasoned AFL figures like Mick Malthouse and Chris Johnson.
Sundaresan describes the vodcast as both a learning journey and a public invitation. “Since moving to Australia seven years ago, I have fallen in love with footy, but I am yet to pick a team. This vodcast is a public look into me learning about the nuances and history of all 18 clubs and aims to motivate the audience to play the game and to support a Club,” he said.
The series will be available weekly on AFL.com.au, the AFL Live App, AFL Desi’s social platforms, and leading podcast directories. Clips from the show are already generating buzz online—Waleed Aly’s childhood memory of wearing a Richmond mascot suit, and the Starc-Healy duo’s light-hearted ribbing of Pat Cummins’ loyalty to the Swans have caught early attention.
The vodcast accompanies the AFL Desi pilot campaign, which launched in March across Facebook, Instagram and X, and has already drawn over 2,000 followers and reached hundreds of thousands more. According to the AFL, the new content vertical is aimed at providing authentic, light-hearted and informative storytelling for an audience that’s often underrepresented in the footy ecosystem.
The AFL is working with Engage Digital Partners, whose teams in India and Australia are helping create content tailored for the South Asian community. The name “AFL Desi” was developed following consultation with community members. The word “Desi”, rooted in Sanskrit, is a widely used term referring to people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and surrounding South Asian nations.
Rob Auld, AFL Executive General Manager of Game Development, said this initiative is part of broader efforts to make the game feel open and welcoming to all. “AFL Desi is making meaningful connections with South Asian audiences, and ensures we are contributing to making Australia’s game accessible to all cultures and backgrounds,” Auld said.
The vodcast is also being positioned as a content strategy. AFL Executive General Manager of Customer and Commercial, Bec Haagsma, said: “We are proud to have launched AFL Desi this year with tailored content to entertain whilst educating the audience about the game in an authentic and light-hearted way.”
She added that engagement numbers have exceeded expectations. “We have already seen impactful results highlighted by over 9,000 shares of the content published. This kind of organic word of mouth is very powerful.”
AFL Desi is part of a wider push by the AFL to expand beyond its traditional base. With changing demographics across Australia, sporting codes are increasingly focusing on how to reflect the diversity of their audiences. By blending storytelling with curiosity and humour, Who Do You Barrack For? is attempting to do just that—no heavy jargon, just a bit of banter and a lot of passion.
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