Rams, 49ers Open NFL's Australia Debut at 100,000-Seat MCG
Updated
Updated · NFL.com · Sep 3
Rams, 49ers Open NFL's Australia Debut at 100,000-Seat MCG
3 articles · Updated · NFL.com · Sep 3
Summary
Next week’s Rams-49ers season opener will become the first NFL game at Melbourne Cricket Ground, launching the league’s nine-game international slate in Australia.
The NFL chose Melbourne after a multistate bid, citing the MCG’s 100,000 capacity, central location and the city’s record hosting events such as the Australian Open and Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Charlotte Offord, the NFL’s Australia/New Zealand chief, said the venue’s scale, history and downtown setting made Melbourne “a bit of a no-brainer” for the league’s long-awaited debut Down Under.
Established in 1853, the MCG is Australia’s premier sports venue — home to cricket and Australian rules football, host of the 1956 Olympics, and a stadium that has also drawn 96,000-a-night Taylor Swift crowds.