![\"Bulldogs](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/99588d40462034ccd54c4f4f031c790f.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nThe Bulldogs will be the most recognisable team in Las Vegas next year after the club announced its players would have their surnames on the back of jerseys at the round one showpiece event.<\/p>\n
Bulldogs chief executive Aaron Warburton flagged the innovative idea back in February when the club hadn\u2019t even been confirmed to be heading to Vegas.<\/p>\n
Warburton said he wanted the overseas extravaganza to be a \u201cguinea pig\u201d experiment and that the club would work hard with sponsors and the NRL to make it happen.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bulldogs players will wear their names on the back of jerseys in Las Vegas next year. Picture: Bulldogs<\/p>\n
The hard work has paid off with KFC \u2013 the club\u2019s upper back jersey sponsor \u2013 helping to make it work for the game against the Dragons on March 1.<\/p>\n
Jerseys with names on the back are now available for pre-sale purchase, with the Bulldogs keen to make an impact in a new market just as the Melbourne Storm did when they entered the comp in 1998 with names on their jerseys.<\/p>\n
\u201cA player\u2019s surname represents their family, their heritage and their journey. When our players run out in Vegas, those names should be visible for the world to see,\u201d Warburton said.<\/p>\n
\u201c93 per cent of our fans want to see player names – we\u2019ve heard them loud and clear. Vegas 2026 gives us the platform to deliver.<\/p>\n
\u201cFans can wear their favourite player\u2019s name knowing it\u2019s the exact same jersey being worn on rugby league\u2019s biggest stage. Whether you\u2019re making the trip to Vegas or watching from home, you\u2019re connected to that moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re taking rugby league to America where every major sport uses player names – NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re adapting smartly to present our game properly to a new audience whilst giving our fans what they\u2019ve been asking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rugby League Players Association chief executive Clint Newton has backed the move and hopes it might unlock further opportunities across the NRL in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron and the Bulldogs have shown real leadership with an innovative club initiative, and we thank them for their willingness to collaborate with the RLPA on the idea,\u201d Newton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis partnership shows the value that clubs and players can unlock when they work proactively together.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach club has a proud history, and each player has a name that is carried with pride.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis initiative creates a unique bond between the two and sets a new benchmark that shows the incredible value of player IP and helps to create new and improved products for fans.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bulldogs will be the most recognisable team in Las Vegas next year after the club announced its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[184208,64,63,4026,16658,175805,184493,2623,761,762,158,184207,85,184494],"class_list":["post-329532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-aaron-warburton","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bulldogs","tag-canterbury-bankstown-bulldogs","tag-clint-newton","tag-innovative-idea","tag-las-vegas","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-player-names","tag-sports","tag-warburton"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}