AFL to take the NRL's lead and take a game to the US?

[3207]

From what I understand, excluding any fees for advertising and promotion, The AFL receives 10c for every dollar wagered on Ned’s, Ladbrikes etc.

Yeah I just saw that too. But you gotta imagine the appetite for NRL betting in America would be very very low?

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Yeah I just saw that too. But you gotta imagine the appetite for NRL betting in America would be very very low?

The appetite for sports betting in the US is growing very quickly, especially since the major leagues opened up to Vegas. It’s a big pie, even a small slice could be lucrative. Plenty of my friends bet on the EPL, NBA, Champions League etc. the NRL just wants some of that action.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Google search says China 1.4 Billion and the USA 331 Million, good point, I still don't think I will be alive* to see any significant or even middling benefit to NRL and/or AFL from overseas markets.

* I'm 64 years of age.

If 0.1% of the population pay for a TV subscription or gamble that's 17 million people

 

[Jim Prideaux]

$200,000,000 investment over 5 years the NRL are leaning in to here.

You’ve got to have a very large slice of the (as of now, probably non-existent) gambling dollar to come from their bookmakers if they’re to recoup anything near that.

10% of a billion is still only $10,000,000. That’s quite some shortfall.

And if it is only about the gambling dollar then they absolutely must keep playing games there so the game gets as many eyeballs on it as it possibly can.

Interesting theory the gambling one.

Who is funding the investment though? I’m sure the NRL aren’t footing the bill by themselves.

 

[Algorithmic Hot Takes]

No, not worth it.

The NRL seemed to have had success first up. Good for them.
The crowd was mostly Aussies out for a Vegas trip and some Poms I believe.
From what I can gather, they're really after gambling cash, not to make league a niche sport in the US (big population, niche still means heaps of people).
We don't know how interested people will be in a couple of years when it's been done before, and it's not the once-in-a-lifetime Vegas footy trip. But maybe it'll take off? Good luck.

I don't see what it gets us long term.
We've tried FootyWild, Footy this and the other. Clubs will baulk at it as they'd rather keep the money.
We've played exhibition matches back in the day, and I don't think that created any great wave of players and supporters.

I think people, mostly, follow the games they grew up with. American Football has intricate rules and plays, that make sense and are loved by people who are steeped in that tradition. NRL and AFL over there, unless you're talking generational investement, school programs, huge expenditure. Think GWS on 'roids, it's probably never gonna be more than a curiosity.
Or I could be totally wrong.

 

[Xtreme]

Following the success of the NRL season openers in Las Vegas on the weekend, surely the AFL would've been watching closely and could look to follow and take an AFL game to the US for premiership points. The Giants are pretty keen.

AFL to consider teaming up with cricket to take Aussie Rules to the USA

“I think there's opportunities for the AFL in the United States.”

www.sen.com.au

Giants make bold move to take match to USA

With staffer sent overseas

wwos.nine.com.au

Although, there have been proposals in the past to take the game overseas but nothing has gone further than proposals (other than China and NZ)

Indian summer: Dons, Sheedy eye footy's newest frontier

Ex-coach to lead India trip as Dons eye international game

www.afl.com.au

Lions In Singapore? A Genuine Possibility. - World Footy News

worldfootynews.com

AFL couldn't capture the Shanghai market, they have no chance of wooing the US crowd.

 

[The 747]

Waste of time and money. At least cricket has a following due to subcontinental migration.

Americans are not going adopt Australian football to any degree, not now not ever.

 

[3207]

The appetite for sports betting in the US is growing very quickly, especially since the major leagues opened up to Vegas. It’s a big pie, even a small slice could be lucrative. Plenty of my friends bet on the EPL, NBA, Champions League etc. the NRL just wants some of that action.

Because football is a global game and has been played here for a century. Of course we’re going to bet on it. We know it exists.

The Americans don’t yet know about NRL. It is going to take decades to recoup the rumoured $200,000,000 investment if this is purely driven by the gambling dollar.

(NBA I wouldn’t have a clue how big it is in isolation because I can’t stand that sport & have no reason to ever want to learn about it)

 

[Makeshft_Mauler]

But yes, this is indicative of one of the major barriers the AFL face.

Doesnt burgerland have a few cricket grounds floating around now?

they played a t20 league there a few months ago

the population of victoria, SA, WA, Tas and half the populations of NSW and QLD is about 19 million people which id say is about the target audience for afl in australia

to put this in perspective, there are 4 us states with a greater population than that, there are a further 3 us states with a total population greater than the traditional football states combined

this is why australian sport is desperate to get a toe hold into these odd markets, because if you capture just say 0.1% of the population thats nearly 335,000 people.

the goal isnt to turn the us into a bastion of afl, the goal is to become a niche sport where people subscribe to whatever streaming service the afl is presented on and watch it,

20 years ago no one in australia gave a crap about the nfl, now pretty much eveyr pub in the country hosts a superbowl party.

its not like gridiron is going gang busters down here, americans, like australians love to watch sport.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Because football is a global game and has been played here for a century. Of course we’re going to bet on it. We know it exists.

The Americans don’t yet know about NRL. It is going to take decades to recoup the rumoured $200,000,000 investment if this is purely driven by the gambling dollar.

(NBA I wouldn’t have a clue how big it is in isolation because I can’t stand that sport & have no reason to ever want to learn about it)

The Americans barely knew about the premier league until recently, yet plenty of them bet on it - they even make a joke about it on entourage. Yes it’s a bigger league, but the NRL wouldn’t mind a taste of that.

 

[3207]

Who is funding the investment though? I’m sure the NRL aren’t footing the bill by themselves.

Until I see Vegas 2025 sponsored by SportsBet I’m going to have to assume that they are, indeed, funding this themselves.

Of course it’s not $200,0000,000 up front - just the rumoured / suggested investment they’ve undertaken.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Google search says China 1.4 Billion and the USA 331 Million, good point, I still don't think I will be alive* to see any significant or even middling benefit to NRL and/or AFL from overseas markets.

* I'm 64 years of age.

China and India are better best, they don't have a large entrenched set of sports. Yes, they do have large entrenched sports but its a couple not like the crowded American market. And along with large, rapidly growing in India's case less so China's these days, emerging or new middle classes and leisure time that has not previously been there. The working classes and rural (for lack of a better word, peasants) don't have time or money; a more urbanised middle class will have - eventually, if not in the early periods of urbanising - something more like a weekend and regular hours.
The case could be made that there is space for a more physical ball sport than Cricket, Field Hockey or Association Football filling a gap in those nations. I wouldn't necessarily agree, but can see an argument that such a gap exists.

US patterns are long established and could be a nation in decline.
Patterns in India and China are in flux over the next couple of decades as the wealth per capita builds. Even there, I don't see a sport from a minor-to-no power such as Australia (I'm including RL in that, even though it has British origin its stronger here) getting much of a look-in. American Football has had the power of Hollywood and not made major strides anywhere, Australian Football and RL have the power of well, nothing, as free marketing.

And I freely admit this is thought bubbling, without solid numbers or a good knowledge of the cultures, so hardly persuasive.

 

[3207]

The Americans barely knew about the premier league until recently, yet plenty of them bet on it - they even make a joke about it on entourage. Yes it’s a bigger league, but the NRL wouldn’t mind a taste of that.

I call BS on that. There would be 45,000,000 Americans that would have heard of the Premier League.

There’d be lucky to have 4,500 that knew about the NRL prior to this weekend.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Until I see Vegas 2025 sponsored by SportsBet I’m going to have to assume that they are, indeed, funding this themselves.

Of course it’s not $200,0000,000 up front - just the rumoured / suggested investment they’ve undertaken.

It won’t be sports net necessarily, but you’re mad if you don’t think gambling companies are putting up some of the cash for this junket.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

I call BS on that. There would be 45,000,000 Americans that would have heard of the Premier League.

There’d be lucky to have 4,500 that knew about the NRL prior to this weekend.

Now there would be, maybe, but 30 years ago?

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Doesnt burgerland have a few cricket grounds floating around now?

they played a t20 league there a few months ago

the population of victoria, SA, WA, Tas and half the populations of NSW and QLD is about 19 million people which id say is about the target audience for afl in australia

to put this in perspective, there are 4 us states with a greater population than that, there are a further 3 us states with a total population greater than the traditional football states combined

this is why australian sport is desperate to get a toe hold into these odd markets, because if you capture just say 0.1% of the population thats nearly 335,000 people.

the goal isnt to turn the us into a bastion of afl, the goal is to become a niche sport where people subscribe to whatever streaming service the afl is presented on and watch it,

20 years ago no one in australia gave a crap about the nfl, now pretty much eveyr pub in the country hosts a superbowl party.

its not like gridiron is going gang busters down here, americans, like australians love to watch sport.

And bet on it

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

NRL don't care about spreading the comp. They don't care about NRL being played elsewhere. The gambling component makes sense.

AFL try spreading the game for the games sake. Purely to spread the game elsewere. At least the NRL are honest about just going after money.

AFL will do the same, but will it be for gambling motives?

 

[3207]

It won’t be sports net necessarily, but you’re mad if you don’t think gambling companies are putting up some of the cash for this junket.

Well I know that the TAB wouldn’t be as they are Australian owned and operated.

And considering SportsBet is listed as their major partner - but you can only bet on SportsBet within Australia and New Zealand
Which means that your allegation would be that Flutter Entertainment (the owner of the SportsBet brand) would be chipping in some of the money?

Flutter Entertainment is only allowed to be in operation in 35 states of the USA.

I still don’t get it.

I still can’t see the gambling revenue reason as the main draw card here. The numbers just don’t stack up.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Well I know that the TAB wouldn’t be as they are Australian owned and operated.

And considering SportsBet is listed as their major partner - but you can only bet on SportsBet within Australia and New Zealand
Which means that your allegation would be that Flutter Entertainment (the owner of the SportsBet brand) would be chipping in some of the money?

Flutter Entertainment is only allowed to be in operation in 35 states of the USA.

I still don’t get it.

I still can’t see the gambling revenue reason as the main draw card here. The numbers just don’t stack up.

But the crowd numbers do stack up? Or the tv rights? If you can’t see that this is for gambling, pushed by an chief who is waist deep in gambling then I can’t help you

 

[3207]

Now there would be, maybe, but 30 years ago?

Well, no. The Premier League was only 2 years old, 30 years ago.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Well, no. The Premier League was only 2 years old, 30 years ago.

You know what I mean, I’ll rephrase, the top flight of uk football. Or Formula 1 for that matter.

 

[PhatBoy]

NRL don't care about spreading the comp. They don't care about NRL being played elsewhere. The gambling component makes sense.

AFL try spreading the game for the games sake. Purely to spread the game elsewere. At least the NRL are honest about just going after money.

AFL will do the same, but will it be for gambling motives?

lol.

Yes because if the AFL staged a game in Vegas it would be with the aim of starting a comp there or planting a team there.

Of course the NRL want to make money. What do they do with that money? Ideally pump it back into the game.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

lol.

Yes because if the AFL staged a game in Vegas it would be with the aim of starting a comp there or planting a team there.

Of course the NRL want to make money. What do they do with that money? Ideally pump it back into the game.

The AFL would be there for the exact same reason the NRL are.

 

[3207]

But the crowd numbers do stack up? Or the tv rights? If you can’t see that this is for gambling, pushed by an chief who is waist deep in gambling then I can’t help you

I can see why others have that point of view - especially as it was being played in Vegas which helps this narrative somewhat.

But the game would either have to:absolutely explode in the hearts and minds of the American people in order for them to gamble on it in huge numbers to recover the investment.

If they’re getting $10c on the dollar and $10,000,000 upfront from an agency - that’s a hell of a long play to just break even.

Just because we can bet on the Dutch handball league here - it doesn’t necessarily mean that we bet on it in numbers that will financially benefit the league as a whole

 

[PhatBoy]

The AFL would be there for the exact same reason the NRL are.

Absolutely.

But the ultimate reason would be to use that money for the same gains back home - to grow the sport domestically using money made internationally