AS AUSTRALIAN football grows in popularity around the globe, so too does the engagement with alternative commentary streams. 

From the National Indigenous Radio Service to games with commentary in Hindi or Mandarin, more and more people are getting involved as the game goes global.

This weekend, Fox Footy, on Kayo Sports, will deliver a Hindi-language broadcast for the clash between Brisbane and Melbourne, where the brilliance of superstars such as Kate Hore and Ally Anderson will be celebrated in style. 

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Leading the coverage will be Rajbir Ghuman and Harbir Singh Kang, who also featured on Fox Footy earlier this year during the men’s season.

Rajbir Ghuman’s story is fascinating. 

She was first introduced to the AFL when she attended an Essendon multicultural event back in 2018 with some work colleagues, when Rajbir was working with Telstra to build the AFL Live Official App.

“I went to this event back in 2018 when I was in Australia for a few months. Because I was working on the app I knew a bit of Hindi commentary was happening and that it was done in the past because I was configuring the radio channels,” she told AFL.com.au.

At that event was where she met Harbir, who has now become her fellow co-commentator.

“We had a two-minute chat… we just added each other on LinkedIn and three years later he reached out to me that there was an opportunity to do a Hindi call in 2022. I said yes (and) that’s how it started.”

It didn’t take Rajbir long to fall in love with the game and to pick up the microphone. 

“Seeing the passion from Australians, it’s hard not to follow and fall in love with the game,” she said.

“I love it now, partially because it’s part of my job… I needed to know the stats, have the domain knowledge and know the sport.

“I have always been into sports, I’m not athletic anymore,” she laughs.

“I love watching sports, back in India it could be table tennis, cricket, lawn tennis – that’s how I picked up the game and the passion for footy.”

Rajbir has spent time calling AFL on both radio and the television, and believes television helps consumers connect with the game more, where they can pair words with pictures.

“It’s a different experience entirely… I love the experience of doing it on TV,” she said.

“Radio users were not able to connect with it as much, that’s what I understood from my friends and family… now they have the audio in Hindi and they can relate to the game more.”

Rajbir, an avid Western Bulldogs fan who loves captain Marcus Bontempelli, says she is excited for the opportunity to call the Lions and Demons this weekend.

“Oh, I always get nervous. I think it’s good to be nervous sometimes, but I still get nervous. It’s a different experience every time we do it. Different players and different things happen,” she added.

“The first few times were definitely challenging but I had really good support from Harbir and the team as well.”

She loves the momentum swings and watching players give their all on the football field.

“I think my favourite part is the momentum of the game… there is not a single boring moment in the game, even if it is a one-sided game. The opponents always put in 100 per cent effort,” she said.

“At the end of the game, players would be like friends like nothing happened the last 90 minutes. I love that part.”

But how do you translate some of the niche footy terms like ‘speccy’?

“We don’t! I think it’s best to keep them in English. We explain what it is in Hindi, for example, ‘speccy’. We will still call it speccy, but we will explain what a speccy is in Hindi. 

“We will not change the term or translate it into Hindi.”

Rajbir thinks more and more people are tuning into Australian football from India now than ever before.

“It has been growing… looking at the Instagram channels and articles, it’s definitely picking up in India,” she said.

The Brisbane Lions are also hosting a Diwali Festival this weekend, where there will be plenty of food trucks, fireworks, entertainment and music. 

Prominent Indian influencers, vloggers and comedians will also be in attendance as the Lions push towards a top-four berth and another premiership tilt.