The Australian Football League (AFL) has announced a partnership with social media platform, TikTok, to grow the league’s presence across local and international communities.

The partnership will aim to accelerate the AFL and club’s social channels by delivering fresh content for the younger generation of fans, including behind-the-scenes footage and access to star athletes.

Additionally, an account dedicated to the AFLW has been created, which will post exclusive content for fans.

Commenting on the partnership, AFL executive general manager of customer and commercial, Kylie Rogers, said: “The AFL continues to grow in Australia as does Tik Tok, especially with kids and families, so we are excited to partner together and harness the potential to engage new generations of fans around the game.”

“Short-form mobile video is one of the most engaging and effective formats commercially.

“TikTok’s power and diverse reach will allow us to deliver fresh and engaging content to our already passionate fanbase.

“Sport is a hugely popular category on the platform and with over one billion users worldwide, TikTok will allow us to grow our game locally and abroad,” she said.

TikTok APAC global business development lead, Jonathon Oake, added: “TikTok is a vibrant hub of sporting content for millions of users across Australia, and this new partnership will deliver more AFL content to the platform than ever before.”

“We see enormous user appetite and growth potential for the AFL in reaching fans across the world via shortform content,” he said.

The announcement comes after the AFL renewed their broadcast deal with Seven West Media and Fox Sports for AUD$4.5 billion.