Operation Vegas: Inside the NRL’s multimillion-dollar season-opening extravaganza
What does it take to bring rugby league to Las Vegas? Well 22 tonnes of equipment, 9000 meals, 350 match balls, 68 field training sessions, 72 motors … and an incredible number of hot dogs is a good start.
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NRL CEO Andrew Abdo says the league is intent on finding a way of making its already super-sized Las Vegas extravaganza even bigger, declaring “we’re not going to slow down”.
It comes as Abdo revealed the massive logistical exercised behind taking the 2025 NRL season kick-off 12,500km away.
Premiers Penrith will play Cronulla and New Zealand will take on Canberra at Allegiant Stadium next Sunday, in a game that will be broadcast live on US prime time television via Fox Sports 1 in huge coup for the game.
All four teams are already in the US to begin preparations.
They will be joined by UK Super League sides Wigan and Warrington for a regular-season clash, as well as Australia and England’s women’s teams for a historic Test match.
It’s not just the added teams landing in Las Vegas.
More than 22 tonnes of team and NRL equipment has travelled 12,500km to the United States for the most complex part of the operation — creating a high-performance environment for all the sides.
The NRL is investing millions of dollars into its Las Vegas venture, doubling down with its second instalment in Sin City, as part of grand plans to grow the game globally.
”The strategy is sound, right,” Abdo said.
“We want to take what we think is one of the best sports competitions in the world, if not the best sports competition in the world, and really win global fans.
“So we’re not going to slow down.”
STAR POWER
The NRL enlisted the services of retired NFL great Rob Gronkowski to front their advertising campaign.
“Gronk has been terrific,” Abdo said.
“And to have him involved in our advertising campaign in year two as well has been terrific. “He’s got a massive following (in the US) and he loves the sport. They are actually blown away by the size, of our sport and also the athleticism of our players. So it’s kind of easy in a way because it’s hard not to love what we offer.”
VEGAS 2.0 & BEYOND
The NRL’s offering is now two years into a five-year commitment to begin its season in Las Vegas.
While last year’s crowd of 40,746 was deemed a success, it didn’t stop the NRL adding two more games as a way to capitalise on its Las Vegas venture and grow its global footprint.
While this week’s focus will be on the four-game extravaganza at Allegiant Stadium, Abdo said the ARL Commission is already discussing ways to further broaden the NRL’s borders.
“We’re going to continue thinking about how we can reach new markets,” Abdo said.
“America is important to us, as is Europe and the UK. And obviously we want to become the sport of the Pacific, too.
“So thinking about where we play games, that’s definitely at the forefront of what our planning is for.”
Abdo is adamant the NRL has the product to break international borders, where the biggest impediment is exposure.
“First and foremost, we want to make sure this is successful,” Abdo said of Las Vegas.
“Then, we want to build momentum in America over the next couple of years because we want to, effectively, globalise our TV audience and our broadcast rights.
“And we want fans from all over the world.
“That’s how we are going to grow. We are hard at work thinking about what other markets we want to penetrate and how we think about that strategy more coherently.
“It is a regular conversation with our Commission, who have been real visionaries with the US.”
INSIDE OPERATION VEGAS
The NRL is transporting 22 tonnes of gear to Las Vegas, 350 match and training Steeden footballs and all the equipment needed to create high-performance setups for each of the teams.
The specially made goalposts have been stored inside the multibillion-dollar Allegiant Stadium for the past 12 months, ready to be dusted off and erected once the grass field, which sits on a giant tray weighing 8.6 tonnes and takes 72 motors to roll it in and out of the indoor stadium.
The work on the ground is just as mind boggling.
Arranging 9000 meals for players, team staff, referees. Organising 68 field training sessions, gym sessions, recovery sessions, stadium runs. All centrally managed from the NRL.
“It’s a massive logistic exercise. Australia is descending on Vegas – Australia, New Zealand and England as well, fans from all over the world. In fact, 31 countries,” Abdo said.
“It’s a high-performance environment, so we want to try and create as good an atmosphere and environment for the players as possible, in terms of what they are used to back home in preparing. Because, don’t forget, we’re talking about premiership points games, and, of course, a Test match and a Super League fixture.”
Abdo credits ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys with inviting England to the Vegas party, with 9000 UK fans also set to join in the festivities.
“It really was his inspiration to keep thinking about how we can create new content in that market to show the global strengths of the sport, and to really enhance the sport,” Abdo said.
While the women’s Test match can showcase the sport to a new market.
“That’s historic. Women’s sport is booming. And we think women’s rugby league is the premium athletic product for females, certainly as far as contact sports goes,” he said.
“And even though we have touch tag and tackle, I think that the US fans and global fans are going to be blown away by the athleticism of our female players and to see a Test match.”
THAT HOMELY FEEL
The NRL and its fans have taken over Resorts World and its three hotels.
American football training fields have been reconfigured to rugby league standard.
That will be replicated at Allegiant Stadium, where the normal rugby field will be reduced from 100m to 94.5m from goalpost to goalpost, and from 68m to 63.1m wide.
As Abdo says, “Las Vegas is positioning itself as the sports and entertainment capital of America”.
It hosted the Super Bowl last year, the NBA’s in-season tournament, and Allegiant Stadium will hold the WWE’s two-day WrestleMania spectacular just weeks after the NRL takes centre stage of the indoor field.
THE FAN EXPERIENCE
While Allegiant is the NRL’s big stage, the centrepiece of the NRL’s festival of football is Fremont Street.
Speak to Abdo and you hear his voice pick up when he discussed turning last year’s single-day event into a dedicated four-day affair.
“I’ll never forget that fan day at Fremont Street,” Abdo said.
“Having thousands of fans there, who had travelled from across the Pacific and were just absolutely loving being together as an Australian community.
“It was like a take over. And I remember the players loving the interaction with the fans and the fans were just so happy. It really is a magnificent community experience.
“Some of the learnings from last year is, we wanted to create more space for the fans to come together.
“How could we create that every day?
“And that’s really where the Fan Hub was born.
“So, Resorts World from Wednesday all the way through to Saturday, will be a dedicated space we fans can use as a central meeting point, and they can meet fans from other clubs, other parts of the world, from all over really and get the opportunity to meet the players and spend time with the teams.”
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