Plan revealed for ‘Australia Week in Vegas’

Confirming the NRL is heading to Las Vegas next year, ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys has revealed the bold plan to make it "Australia Week in Vegas".

Hatching a plan for the biggest festival in NRL history, V'landys is looking to create an NRL Expo in the United States to celebrate the double-header clash that will open the 2024 NRL season.

Set to make a formal announcement at some stage in the week; the ARL Commission boss is in the final stages of formalising a deal to kick off the NRL season in Vegas.

The Daily Telegraph has revealed that NRL's bold plan to make it "Australia Week in Vegas" consists of several events that are set to net approximately $200 million in betting-and-broadcasting deals.

• V'landys is currently in talks to have Irish rock band U2 perform during the week as part of the Vegas celebration. The band will already be in Las Vegas at the time, performing several shows.
• Australian acting legend Hugh Jackman's name has been passed around as the ambassador for "Australia Week".
• Boxing and UFC events that Australian stars will headline. Some names being thrown around include George Kmbosos Jr (Boxing), Tim Tszyu (Boxing), Robert Whittaker (UFC), and Alexander Volkanovski (UFC).
• A dedicated entertainment precinct that will showcase Australian bands, artists and performers.
• The best chefs from around Australia hired for a food-and-wine spectacular.

"Vegas will go ahead," V'landys said via the Telegraph.

"I believe in the next two weeks it will be sorted, we are very close ... it could be announced by the end of the week.

"It (their double-header plan) has now gone from being a three-day event to a whole week promoting Australia."

"We are talking to a number of parties and the more we speak, the more it‘s becoming Australia Week in Vegas."

"We are talking with Las Vegas tourism right now and they are keen on supporting us with Australia Week,” V'landys continued.

"If we get it going, it will be massive."

While a number of NRL teams want to be involved in the double-header, it is currently unknown what clubs will be selected. However, the front-runners are reigning premiers Penrith Panthers, the Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The NRL are eager to rubberstamp a five-year plan if the deal goes ahead. The plan would see 10 NRL matches occur featuring all 17 teams until the end of 2028.