NFL Airs 60,000-Year Welcome to Country at 49ers-Rams Australia Opener
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 11
NFL Airs 60,000-Year Welcome to Country at 49ers-Rams Australia Opener
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 11
Summary
Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin delivered a Welcome to Country ceremony before the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia, invoking 60,000 years of Indigenous culture at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The pregame appearance came as the league staged a Sept. 11 memorial for the 25th anniversary of the attacks, placing the Indigenous acknowledgment alongside military honors and musical performances.
Wandin, a senior Wurundjeri elder, welcomed the San Francisco 49ers and initially misspoke the Los Angeles team’s name before correcting herself during the ceremony.
The event unfolded before 100,021 fans as San Francisco beat the Rams 27-7 in Melbourne, opening a four-year NFL agreement aimed at expanding the league’s presence in Australia.