By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE, Sept 3 (Reuters) – The NFL is only considering Australia as a host of week one games over the long term rather than bringing teams there later in the schedule due to the heavy travel involved, a senior executive said on Thursday.
The NFL will put on its first game in Australia next week, with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers kicking off their seasons at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground as part of a multiyear deal with the Victoria state government.
With Melbourne a 14-hour flight from the U.S. West Coast, the travel means less time for the teams to rest and prepare for their games in week two.
“A week one game is important given the travel there and the travel back,” NFL Executive Vice President Peter O’Reilly told reporters in a call from New York.
“So, yes is the answer.”
In March, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said there was not much benefit for his team in coming to Australia given there was no bye after week one, even if it was “cool” for the league to play globally.
The teams are taking different approaches to preparing for the game, with the 49ers arriving a week early to acclimatise and the Rams touching down a day before the game.
The MCG game falls in the middle of the Australian Football League’s (AFL) season-ending playoffs when huge crowds typically flock to the nation’s largest stadium to watch the top flight of Australian Rules football.
The NFL will not decide on its 2027 schedule until after the 2026 season finishes but the league wants to host annual games in Australia, which it regards as a strategic growth market.
Hosting further week one matches in Melbourne will mean negotiating with the AFL, which generally occupies the MCG during finals weekends.
“We have great partners in the MCG and the AFL, and know we’ll work to a good solution there that allows the NFL to continue to play in Australia on an ongoing basis,” O’Reilly said.
The AFL declined to comment.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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