With Sydney FC one game away from a place in the semifinals of the AFC Champions League Two, Sky Blue chief executive Mark Aubrey has told ESPN that his side's experiences during their continental run have reiterated the role that football can play in growing Australian ties across both Southeast Asia, and the continent more broadly.
Defeating South Korean outfit Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-0 in Yongin last week, Sydney will enter this Thursday's home second leg in a commanding position to reach the final four of the ACL Two, needing just to avoid defeat to set up a meeting with either Sanfrecce Hiroshima or Lion City Sailors -- that tie turned on its head after Sanfrecce's 6-1 win in the first leg was overturned and Lion City awarded a 3-0 win after the Japanese outfit fielded an ineligible player.
In addition to their victorious trip to South Korea last week, Sydney has logged stops in the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand on their road to the quarterfinals, a year on from Central Coast Mariners visiting Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman on their way to winning the now-defunct AFC Cup -- the predecessor of the ACL Two.
And it's these travels that have Aubrey in a bullish mood on the role football can play in growing ties to Asia.
"We are reminded every time we're traveling into the region, just how big an opportunity it is," Aubrey told ESPN.
"Sydney is one of the world's great global cities and having the opportunity to showcase our club, showcase our brand, showcase our culture on regional stages, is massive for us.
"Not just from a football perspective, but equally from a commercial and business perspective as well, because it also gives us exposure to the broader region from a business and sponsor and partner perspective too.
"Football just has a power that other codes can't replicate. And I think the role that clubs like Sydney FC, being advocates for Australia and being advocates for business across the region, is an opportunity that is huge from a fan engagement and a business connectivity perspective. And I think that's a massive opportunity from a sports diplomacy perspective.
"These runs in Asia, allow us to create connections with our current partners in Australia, but then allow us to showcase our brand to a whole new set of partners overseas that we perhaps otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to connect with.
"There are opportunities where we're not just selling our football club, but we're selling our city, and we're selling our league, and we're selling what Australian football is all about."
Sports diplomacy -- how a state engages with the world through sport, athletes, and sporting events -- is a growing facet of Australian foreign policy, with its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) releasing Australia's Sports Diplomacy Strategy 2032+, encompassing the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, last month.
Notably, the Australian government confirmed late last year that it would spend over AU$600 million helping to establish an NRL side in Papua New Guinea.
Australian football, meanwhile, has been seeking to grow its ties to Asia.
Having already hosted a men's AFC Asian Cup in 2015 and a FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023, it will host the Women's Asian Cup in 2026 and -- already a member of the AFF -- Socceroos coach Tony Popovic said in January he would welcome the opportunity to enter a team in future ASEAN Championship tournaments.
Football Australia has also teamed with DFAT to engage with the Pacific through the PacificAus Sports program.
And Aubrey is of the view that football is ideally suited to help Australia better engage with its Asian neighbors.
"Looking at that broader sports diplomacy, the plans or the strategy [government] have in place, what it has shown us is the opportunity that exists for football and the opportunity for the government to think about football as a key pillar of what that sports diplomacy strategy might look like," he said.
"Particularly when you think about the AFC Women's Asian Cup here and the role that football can play in combining cultures, transversing different languages -- it is the universal sport."
With the introduction of a AFC Women's Champions League, creating a pathway to FIFA's newly-unveiled Women's Club World Cup and Women's Champions Cup, and Australia's imminent hosting of the Women's Asian Cup, Aubrey said this "doubly counts" in the women's game.
"There's a real opportunity for women's football in Australia to be real leaders in Asia," he said. "Really lead the way in terms of what the opportunity is to grow women's football
"We even have more responsibility to actually showcase our teams in Asia. Because there's increased prize money for women in Asian Champions League football, but equally then the potential flow onto the Club World Cup and how competitive Australian teams could be in that framework. I think it's hugely important."