‘Time to make it happen’: Sydney jockeying for historic NFL clash (2024)

Sydney has expressed a strong interest in hosting the NFL after the sport’s governing body gave the biggest indication yet that a match is heading to Australia.

The NFL kicked off its opening weekend with the first match in Brazil, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-29 at Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo on Saturday. It is part of the league’s global push, which will result in games also being played in England and Germany this year, with the goal of playing a minimum of eight international fixtures a season.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed Australia was on his radar, declaring: “We expect to be in Asia soon. We expect to be in Australia soon. We’re going to make sure that our game is available around the globe.”

Destination NSW is in negotiations to bring a match to the Harbour City if the price is right, although Melbourne has also been jockeying to stage a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“Roger said they want to go where the fans are, well, that’s music to our ears,” Venues NSW chairman David Gallop told this masthead.

“Sydney is that place. Come and fish where the fish are. The interest and build-up to this NFL season has been bigger than ever in the USA and in Australia, too.

“We’ve hosted the NFL before and look forward to a sell-out at Accor Stadium again.”

Sydney hosted a pre-season clash between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers at Stadium Australia, now known as Accor Stadium, attracting a crowd of 73,811 spectators in 1999. It was the first American pro football game to be held in the Southern Hemisphere.

Local interest in the sport has since grown exponentially. A large crowd gathered for a season-opening party at the Bondi Pavilion on Saturday to watch the Eagles-Packers clash.

“Due to the highly competitive nature of event acquisition, discussions and details of event investments are commercial in confidence,” a NSW Government spokesperson said.

“The NSW Government assesses the viability of a range of events for the NSW events calendar to help achieve its ambition for the NSW visitor economy. To ensure NSW remains a premier destination for major events, Destination NSW works with key stakeholders to attract and host world-class events throughout the state.”

Sydney has a history of bringing big US sporting events to town. The city made history in 2014 when it hosted competition Major League Baseball games for the first time, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

NFL teams have been assigned specific areas to promote. The Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles have been tasked with spreading the game in Australia. Jordan Mailata, the former South Sydney Rabbitohs lower grade player, is one of the biggest names on the Eagles roster.

Australian NFL pioneer Colin Scotts said there was a huge appetite for the NFL to be brought to Sydney.

“It’s just so obvious with Jordan Mailata being one of 10 Aussies over there doing really well in the NFL; we have a real presence there right now,” Scotts said.

“I know that Melbourne are making a pitch, but I’m trying tenfold to help get it here to Sydney. It would just be magic.

“There’s no doubt it would sell out and become a major success. They need to expand and we are in there with a great shot.

“We have scouts down here, we’ve got professional recruiting teams down here. The world has shrunk and Australia has caught their imagination.

“They love our players in the NFL, they are not only great athletes but also very well-spoken. They are all dominating. It’s time to make it happen.”

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Former St Louis Cardinals defensive tackle Scotts, the first Australian to win a football scholarship in the US, said American football was becoming more mainstream locally.

“There’s so much more exposure, whether it be on social media or some other platform. Fans can watch it when they want,” he said.

“The generation coming through is so educated. I can’t tell you how many people grab me and say ‘I’m loving NFL’.

“It’s a slow and complicated game, but it’s also the most beautiful and explosive game in the world. I love it and I love it more now.

“When you understand the rules the game goes faster because then you understand the chess match that’s being played.”

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