ARLC chairman Peter V’landys wants to sell rugby league to US President Donald Trump, reveals NRL will adopt new technology

Peter V’landys believes the “once-in-a-generation player” Nathan Cleary could be marketed as Australia’s version of NFL legend Tom Brady in a bid to attract a new US market while in Vegas.

Peter V’landys wants to introduce rugby league to President Donald Trump and believes Americans could embrace Nathan Cleary as ‘Australia’s Tom Brady’ when the NRL ramps up its United States mission.

The NRL will land in the US next month ahead of the game’s second Las Vegas venture.

ARLC chairman V’landys has promised this year’s season-opener will be bigger and better than the NRL’s inaugural expedition to the land of hope and dreams in 2024.

V’landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo returned from a fact-finding mission in the States last week armed with ideas, information and contacts to ramp up rugby league’s American incursion.

The Panthers, Sharks, Warriors and Raiders will launch this year’s NRL Premiership at Allegiant Stadium on March 1 (US time) and V’landys said Vegas 2.0 will be bigger and better.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys have just returned from Las Vegas. Picture: NRL Photos

“It will definitely be bigger than last year,” he said.

“We are expecting 50-60,000 fans and have already sold over 35,000 tickets.

“We will be doing a lot more marketing and it’s the first time it’s going on free-to-air television in America which will be a minimum of 500,000 viewers.

“We have nearly 20,000 Australians travelling over there. We have a New Zealand team and Super League teams (Wigan and Warrington) that will attract people from England.

“The women’s game (Jillaroos v England) will be unique because Americans have never seen how good our players are. That is going to rock their socks to see how good the women are.

“It’s not an easy path to attract Americans but we will get there.”

V’landys wants to make US President Donald Trump an NRL fan. Picture: AFP

HELLO PRESIDENT

V’landys met former US President Joe Biden in 2023 at the White House after being invited to a state dinner by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Biden vacated the most powerful position in the world this week to be replaced by the returning Trump, who has vowed to “make America great again” with a host of controversial policies that could have a major impact on other countries.

V’landys sold the NRL’s American dream to Biden and he isn’t afraid to do the same to Trump if the opportunity arises.

He even plans to offer the new President an invite to the Las Vegas event.

“I’m going to give it a go,” he said.

“Donald is a sports lover. He has hosted Dana White (UFC boss) and we have a great relationship with the UFC.

“You never know. We will certainly give it a crack.”

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took V'Landys to meet former US President Joe Biden in 2023.

TECH EXPLOSION

V’landys flew to the US on his own accord to attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – dubbed “the most powerful tech event in the world”.

His eyes were opened to the technological advances taking place around the globe and it may not be long before the NRL embraces the booming tech era and artificial intelligence.

“It was a personal trip but there were a few things we discovered there that are going to be implemented in rugby league in the next 12 months,” he said.

“I won’t say any more than that but some of them could be game changers.

“The big thing I discovered there is that Australia hasn’t quite grasped AI – it has exploded.”

Abdo and V’landys also met with NFL franchise the Las Vegas Raiders and local tourism executives to ramp up awareness of the NRL’s event.

AUSSIE TOM BRADY

The NRL showcased some of its superstar athletes in Vegas last year with the likes of Latrell Mitchell, Reece Walsh and James Tedesco on show.

This year it will be a new group of players heading abroad, including four-time premiers Penrith and their halfback Nathan Cleary.

Cleary is regarded as the NRL’s No. 1 player and V’landys said he could be marketed as Australia’s version of NFL legend Tom Brady – the seven-time Super Bowl champion.

The quarterback is gridiron’s most coveted position and Cleary plays a similar role in the 13-man code.

“Absolutely – he is a once-in-a-generation player,” V’landys said.

“He has got everything. He is a good human being, extremely talented and a very thoughtful bloke with the things he does behind the scenes. He is just a good person.

“His talent is immeasurable. He is a game breaker and a lot of the reason Penrith has won it the last four years.

“He is the perfect guy to get a following in America.”

V’landys believes Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary is the ideal posterboy for America. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

THE LONG GAME

While the NRL’s first foray into Sin City was considered a success, the experiment has had its detractors.

Some clubs have raised concerns about the financial impact of committing to the exercise while the cost of taking two premiership games overseas has come under criticism.

But V’landys said Vegas was on track to break even in the coming years and the game was committed to the American experiment until at least 2028 after being blown away by last year’s interest.

“It is the second year of a five-year plan and we learnt a lot from last year,” he said.

“The fallacy people don’t understand is that it doesn’t cost all that much. There is a possibility that by the third or fourth year it could be cost neutral.

“In previous years we have spent that much on the season launch without the benefits of Vegas.”

The NRL’s first Vegas venture was a success. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

V’landys said Vegas generated enormous momentum for the NRL season which carried on throughout the year.

“We didn’t anticipate the excitement in Australia for Las Vegas. It was the highest-rating rugby league on Fox ever and Channel 9 had a 40 per cent increase,” he said.

“The pubs and clubs were full that day around Australia. We got into other states that we don’t normally get.

“Putting aside the other benefits of Vegas, the domestic benefit was immeasurable and gave us a flying start for the rest of the season which led to record ratings and attendances.

“The players really turned it on. It was entertaining.”

Originally published as ARLC chairman Peter V’landys wants to sell rugby league to US President Donald Trump, reveals NRL will adopt new technology