Fans from across globe watch NRL, Super League at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
From the travelling Aussies and Kiwis to the loyal English Super League fans and the locals who stay up watching NRL at 3am, Allegiant Stadium had it all on Sunday.
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Never before has such a diverse and unique group of rugby league fans been under the same stadium roof.
Allegiant Stadium had an extraordinary mix of characters on Sunday. From the travelling tourists from Australia, New Zealand and the UK, to the hardcore local Americans who literally stay up all night watching the NRL.
Those in attendance were treated to Mexican waves, chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”, Kiwi pride, spine-tingling chants from supporters of the English Super League and even a welcoming US national anthem.
“I’ll be here next year and the year after and the year after,” Dan, a hardcore Manly fan originally from Sydney but now living in Tucson, Arizona, told The Daily Telegraph.
“I hope Peter V’Landys keeps it coming (to Vegas). Even if it’s not your team, who cares? Come watch the footy.”
Two mates from Brisbane, Brad and Travis, were spotted walking through the stadium wearing custom-made NRL suit jackets.
Brad’s was covered in the Parramatta logo, while Travis donned the lime green of Canberra.
“It’s been amazing. We’ve been here for five days and we’ve loved every minute of it. It’s what dreams are made of,” Brad said.
“But we have destroyed ourselves,” Travis added.
However, without question, it was the Wigan Warriors who stole the show.
This masthead spent half an hour with Wigan fans during their big 48-24 win over Warrington.
Not once did they stop singing and chanting, conducted by one man loudly beating a drum in a red bucket hat.
“You’re s--t ... you’re s--t... you’re s--t.”
“We are Wigan RLFC … and we will follow you wherever you may be.”
Mike, a Wigan fan who travelled to Vegas from the UK, said it was just “what we do”.
“We sing from start to finish and at halftime, and then at full-time we’ll all be singing,” he said.
Samantha, another lifelong supporter, said she started watching the club when she was four.
“I’m now 34 so that’s 30 years that I’ve been watching them. They are amazing. You can’t go to the games without singing.”
The Wigan fans however had unexpected company. Tino, who was wearing a New Zealand Warriors jersey, had tickets to Wigan’s section.
“My brother bought the tickets, but he accidentally got the WIGAN Warriors tickets, so we’re sitting in the wrong area,” he said.
“We gave him one task: get our tickets.”
Allegiant Stadium cost billions of dollars to build, with every feature and food offering you can imagine.
But in the end, the most popular amenity turned out to be a plastic tray full of cold beer cans that were selling in front of the entrance gates.
The beers in that tray cost 30 Aussie dollars, but the novelty appeared to be worth it.
Originally published as Fans from across globe watch NRL, Super League at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
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