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NFL wants Australia game to become an annual fixture in strategic market
🇸🇬 Singapore /Economy & Trade

NFL wants Australia game to become an annual fixture in strategic market

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources New plan
  • The NFL plans to assess whether Australia can host a regular-season game every year as part of its international expansion strategy.
  • Melbourne will host the league’s first Australian game on Sept. 11, when the Los Angeles Rams play the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
  • The league estimates nearly half the crowd will come from other Australian states or overseas, including about 10,000 U.S.-based fans.

The NFL sees Australia as more than a one-off destination. The league wants its first game there to become an annual fixture if the experience works for teams, players, hosts and fans.

Melbourne will stage Australia’s first NFL game on Sept. 11, when the Los Angeles Rams open their season against the San Francisco 49ers at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground. The match forms part of a record nine-game international schedule across seven countries.

I think that would be the plan, right?

— Gerrit MeierThe NFL international executive responded to the idea of holding a game in Australia every season.

The deal with Victoria includes two confirmed games over four years, plus an option for a third. Gerrit Meier, the NFL’s managing director and head of international operations, said the league generally believes markets it commits to should receive at least one game each season. A second annual game could become possible if the NFL develops more scheduling capacity.

Overall, we're working off the hypothesis that we need to make a commitment to a market ... We believe that at least one game per year should be something that we should be having in the markets that we commit to.

— Gerrit MeierMeier described the league’s broader approach to international markets.

The league will weigh the players’ experience, whether clubs see value in the trip and whether hosts are satisfied with the economic impact. “The teams coming back, they need to be healthy. They need to have a great experience. It needs to be a great game because in the end it counts. It’s not an exhibition game,” Meier said.

The Melbourne kickoff is set for 10:35 a.m. on a Friday to suit U.S. television viewers, but the stadium is expected to be nearly full. The NFL estimates that almost half the spectators will travel from elsewhere in Australia or overseas, including about 10,000 fans based in the United States. Further discussions will involve Visit Victoria and the Australian Football League, which uses the MCG regularly through late September.

The teams coming back, they need to be healthy. They need to have a great experience. It needs to be a great game because in the end it counts. It's not an exhibition game.

— Gerrit MeierHe outlined the conditions the NFL will consider when planning future games.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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