- NRL double-header in Las Vegas on Sunday
- Will officially launch the 2024 NRL season
- Football supreme Peter V’landys is nervous
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Peter V’landys admitted to having reservations about the NRL’s five-year gamble in Las Vegas, even calling himself a “jerk” as he boarded a plane to Sin City this week.
The recently re-elected ARL Commission chairman flew in from Australia on Tuesday ahead of Sunday’s AEDT season openers at Allegiant Stadium, and is desperate to make this bold move a resounding success.
‘On the plane here I said to myself ‘you idiot, what have you done’? he said. Nine news.
“(But) to be here (now) and to be in a position to showcase rugby league is certainly a dream.”
‘For me the success will be (firstly) 40,000 people in the crowd… but the most important thing is that we want a massive (local) audience to watch it on their TVs at home.
Peter V’landys admitted to having reservations about the NRL’s five-year gamble in Las Vegas, and even called himself an “asshole” when he boarded a plane to Sin City this week.
Bad player behavior worries V’Landys, but he hopes “representing the NRL and Australia” will ensure players from all four NRL clubs avoid any potential off-field scandals (pictured, the couple Broncos, Adam Reynolds and Pat Carrigan).
“Nor will anything (of this scale) ever be achieved in just one year.”
Player misconduct remains at the forefront of V’Landys’ mind, but he hopes “representing the NRL and Australia” will ensure players from the Broncos, Roosters, Rabbitohs and Sea Eagles avoid any potential off-field scandals. .
Ticket sales are currently around 35,000, and the capacity of Allegiant Stadium, which recently hosted the Super Bowl, can accommodate 65,000 fans.
The Las Vegas football experiment, blocked until 2028, will depend on strong promotion, which is why a deal has been reached in recent days with Tim Tszyu’s promoters No Limit, American heavyweights Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and the NRL to encourage locals to attend. the two rugby league games.
Australian boxer Tszyu will fight former unified welterweight world champion Keith Thurman on March 30 in Las Vegas and, as a sporting ticket, fight fans have been offered two-for-one tickets to the doubleheader this weekend. of week.
As part of the reciprocal agreement, Australian expats will be encouraged to watch Tszyu make his debut in Sin City next month.
Before flying to the US, V’Landys told 7 News the NRL could “generate tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, over a period of time” if the two games are an instant viewing hit on the highly competitive American sports market.
Australian boxer Tim Tszyu (right), a Rabbitohs fan, will attend the NRL double-header and help promote the sport ahead of his fight against Keith Thurman next month in Las Vegas.
Securing a potential betting deal with a betting company is key as the NRL will be in a position to stream games to customers, with the code also receiving a cut of all bets placed.
In a demonstration of what potentially lies ahead for the NRL powerhouses, Sunday’s matches – Sea Eagles versus Rabbitohs (1.30pm, AEDT) followed by Roosters versus Broncos (3.30pm, AEDT) – will be They will broadcast on the Fox Sports 1 channel in the TO US.
It comes with the staggering potential of over 100 million viewers in the United States alone.
On Australian shores, only Fox League has exclusive broadcast rights to both matches, with Channel Nine only televising the second match from 3:30pm AEDT.