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The NFL has forecast playing more games in Australia after ticket sales for the historic season opener to be played at the MCG later this year went global.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell visited Melbourne on Friday and revealed that fans from 35 countries as well as Australia joined online queues to snap up 42,000 public tickets on Wednesday morning in a matter of minutes.
Goodell also revealed the NFL’s popularity had jumped 50 per cent in Australia in the past two years as the code prepares to stage a blockbuster event in the AFL’s heartland in the middle of an AFL finals’ series.
In an expansive press conference at the MCG, Goodell admitted that setting ticket prices for the match was “challenging”, he dismissed criticism from the San Francisco 49ers coach that flying to Australia to play a live match was an issue, and he committed to providing Australian schools with equipment for a non-contact version of NFL called flag football.
Goodell also assured fans that the NFL would provide blockbuster half-time entertainment for the MCG clash between the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
“I think it’s part of our event to have entertainment,” he said. “We come with a show. It’s not just a football game.”
The NFL revealed that 50 per cent of tickets sold in Australia on Wednesday were snapped up by people living outside of Victoria.
Pre-sale tickets for MCC members and American Express card users for the game went on sale last week and also sold out quickly.
The MCC has committed to providing 100,024 seats.
Frustrated fans said they experienced long waits on Wednesday without being able to secure a ticket, while others complained of sky-high pricing. The cheapest tickets were $95 for standing room.
“I never doubted that the fans here were going to eat those tickets up really quickly,” Goodell said.
“You try to price it to make it available to most, but that’s also why we bring the game along with other events; so that others can participate.
“A lot of the events we’ll have around the game will make people feel part of it, a sense of pride, hopefully, in what’s going on here. And most of those events are free.”
Goodell said the NFL had not yet committed to a follow-up game in Australia next year, but “there’s no question that we’re going to be playing here again”.
“Our view is that we’re coming here for the long term. We don’t come as a one-off. This isn’t a circus,” he said.
“This is something that’s an investment in this market, and we believe that this is long term and will be great for the NFL long term.”
MCC chief executive officer Stuart Fox said construction had already begun in the bowels of the iconic stadium to accommodate the Rams and 49ers on September 11.
“We’ve actually got construction works on down in the change rooms at the moment, getting ready for the game,” Fox said.
“I can’t give too much away, other than it’s a huge overlay ... making sure the players and the support staff are looked after is one of our greatest priorities.
“Obviously, the change rooms and the amenities are a little different because there are so many players in a team, and then there’s the support staff, so it’s a big show.”
Fox joked that he wanted Taylor Swift for the half-time entertainment.
“I would have Taylor back,” he said. “And maybe she could stay on for another five or six shows. It’d be good for our state. I’m not asking for much.”
But Goodell remained tight-lipped about potential acts.
“Do you think I am going to tell you that?” he said. “I think you’ll find it attractive. We’ve got a lot of great possibilities.
“We got a few more suggestions this morning. The premier [Jacinta Allan] had a few. So I think we’ll do a great job of entertaining everybody.”
Goodell said the NFL wanted to leave a lasting legacy in Australia to reward his sport’s growing fan base.
“We made an announcement yesterday that we are going to provide flag football kits to every school,” he said of the code’s non-contact version that has already become a sporting option in NSW schools.
“Hopefully, that will all be done here in Victoria by the start of this game, on September 11. It is just another way that we want to engage our fans to make sure that people here experience us.”
Despite encroaching on the AFL’s finals series, Goodell said the NFL had enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Australian football code.
“They’ve been great partners,” he said. “We’ve worked hard to get the scheduling right, and they could not have been more hospitable.”
The NFL boss flew to Australia earlier this week, visiting Brisbane to promote flag football for the 2032 Olympics.
He dismissed 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s concerns about a long-haul flight to Melbourne to start their season.
“I have an app for him, which I’m going to send to him because my wife hooked me up with an app, and I’ve got to tell you, I feel great. I have not felt any jet lag at all,” he said.
Goodell also visited an NFL academy on the Gold Coast and predicted more Australians would follow in the footsteps of this country’s recent Super Bowl winners Michael Dickson (Seattle Seahawks) and Jordan Mailata (Philadelphia Eagles).
Premier Jacinta Allan joined Goodell for the MCG press conference, saying the September 11 match would attract tens of millions of eyeballs across the globe.
But she ignored a reference to NSW Premier Chris Minns’ suggestion that it would cost a state about $15 million to win the rights to host an NFL match.
“It is going to be a historic event,” Allan said. “We are the only city on the planet to have a tennis grand slam event, a Formula One grand prix and now an NFL regular season home game.”
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