As a born and raised Melburnian, I’d like to think that I’m pretty across my sports. Some of my earliest memories are of me, my brother, our dad and uncles jostling for a space on the well-worn wooden benches in the members’ stand of what was then known as Optus Oval, cheering on our beloved Bluebaggers alongside similarly full-throated diehards. The Australian Open was a must-attend event for my family every summer. And being raised in a Greek house, soccer was very much part of the weekly conversation, while I also used to cheer on my dad from the sidelines when he played competitive volleyball and baseball. To this day, the AFL fixture determines my social schedule for six months of the year (I’d say seven, but did I mention I’m a Carlton fan?), much to the continued chagrin of my long-suffering yet eternally patient boyfriend.
So when a press release landed in my inbox announcing the Australian debut of a pro sport that, humbling though this is to admit, I’d never even heard of, I was more than a little intrigued. On December 28, a vibrant, fast-paced collision of sport and culture will land at John Cain Arena in the form of the Pro Kabaddi Melbourne Raid — the first time professional-level kabaddi will be played on Australian shores.
For those unfamiliar, essentially kabaddi is like the playground game of tiggy all grown up. Each 40-minute match features two teams of seven players, who take turns raiding the opponent’s side of the field. The objective? To tag as many defenders as possible within a 30-second ‘raid’. It’s a frantic, high-energy contact sport that, when in full flight, showcases agility, strategic thinking, and seamless teamwork. It’s also the second most actively followed sport in its home of India with an estimated 300 million viewers in that country alone, trailing only cricket. And based on this highlight reel alone, it honestly looks way more exciting than anything I’ve ever seen take place on a cricket field:
It’s also the perfect chaser to the Australia vs India Boxing Day Test, which you can read all about here.
The Melbourne Raid kicks off with a curtain-raiser featuring Australian professional athletes taking on a team of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) players from India. Next, the main event will see India’s top kabaddi stars take centre stage in a PKL All-Stars game. Retired AFL greats Campbell Brown and Josh Kennedy will also join the fray, with Brown coaching and former Sydney Swans captain Kennedy captaining the Australian side.
Tickets for this family-friendly double-header start at just $10 for kids, and you can book yours here.#