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<\/p>\nThe big day is finally here. The first-ever regular season NFL game in Australia. <\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers face off in an NFC West blockbuster and while the game hasn\u2019t already kicked off, Australia is already a big winner.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Here, foxsports.com.au looks at some of the biggest talking points ahead of the game including how the MCG has been transformed and what it could mean for the AFL moving forward.<\/p>\n \u2018COMPLETELY RIPPED OUT\u2019: INSIDE MCG\u2019S STUNNING TRANSFORMATION<\/p>\n When it was first announced that the NFL was coming to Melbourne, the biggest concern was whether the smaller dimensions of the field would result in an underwhelming experience for the crowd. <\/p>\n For context, the MCG\u2019s playing surface has been converted into a field almost 110 metres long and around 49 metres wide to match the NFL\u2019s typical dimensions, with the usual yard lines, hash marks and end zones painted for the respective teams. <\/p>\n ESPN anchor Phil Murphy said on \u2018AFL 360\u2019 that it will have a \u201cSuper Bowl feel\u201d to it.<\/p>\n But will it have that same feeling for the fans when you consider the MCG field measures 174 metres by 149 metres from fence to fence?<\/p>\n The message from NFL general manager Australia and New Zealand Charlotte Offord is that fans will be \u201csurprised\u201d with how close it all feels. <\/p>\n \u201cWe obviously have a lot of extra players that come with our game, (plus) cheerleaders, entertainment, equipment,\u201d Offord said. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll be surprised at (how little) space is actually left.\u201d<\/p>\n The MCG is set up for it’s first ever NFL match. (Photo by Robert Cianflone\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n Murphy, meanwhile, said the NFL has done a \u201cterrific job setting it up\u201d from the early sneak peek he got ahead of Friday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n In many ways, the AFL is fortunate that there won\u2019t be any finals games in Melbourne on the weekend as the conversion of the field is just one of several changes being made for the historic fixture. <\/p>\n Melbourne journalist Sam Edmund detailed the full extent of the MCG\u2019s appearance on SEN Radio earlier in the week, starting with the cosmetic changes to the field.<\/p>\n To start with, there is obviously the extensive amount of paint that is needed for both line markings but also the team colours in each end zone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt goes super deep… they use so much paint that you can\u2019t wash it out, at least not quickly,\u201d Edmund said.<\/p>\n As a result, the turf will need to be replaced as soon as possible after the final whistle is blown.<\/p>\n \u201cThe staff are going to come in, they\u2019re going to rip 6000-8000 square metres of turf up, so essentially the entire NFL playing area, gone. They\u2019ll work all the way through the night, it probably won\u2019t be complete until Tuesday, new turf,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n ULTIMATE GUIDE: What you need to know ahead of NFL in Australia<\/a><\/p>\n It looks very different.. (Photo by Robert Cianflone\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n Which obviously would have caused problems for the AFL had there been a game at the MCG on Saturday, but Offord said last week that the NFL was prepared for all possibilities and confident in turning the field around within 24 hours had it been required.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been working really closely with MCC, MCG, AFL to make sure that the transition between our two games is as seamless as possible,\u201d Offord said.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it will come with an extra layer of logistics that we all have to address in order to make it a seamless experience for both of us. But the MCG [staff] are used to this.<\/p>\n \u201cThey consistently roll out multiple events day after day, and so this is just one other thing in their scheme of how they do things to make sure that we\u2019re rolled out properly.\u201d<\/p>\n There have also been major changes that the punters likely won\u2019t see, with Edmund reporting that all AFL lockers have been \u201ccompletely ripped out\u201d because they are not big enough for the NFL players.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, he said NFL approved furniture has been placed in every function room.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what the NFL do. The whole stadium has changed. The whole overlay has changed. All the livery\u2019s changed, all the signage has changed. The food menus have changed. It\u2019s the biggest event that the MCG would have ever hosted,\u201d Edmund added.<\/p>\n \u201cSo footy fans, when you get in there, you\u2019re not going to recognise the joint. The MCG\u2019s never had a makeover like this before.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Kittle and Bosa locked in | 02:11<\/p>\n THE \u2018LIKELY\u2019 FIX IN $15M \u2018TURF WAR\u2019<\/p>\n Speaking of the AFL, while the league may have been lucky to dodge any scheduling clashes or logistical challenges this time around it is no guarantee for the future.<\/p>\n After all, the NFL is here to stay.<\/p>\n The league has a four-year contract with Victoria to host at least two games in Melbourne, with an option for a third. <\/p>\n According to veteran AFL journalist Jon Ralph, it means there could be a \u201cturf war\u201d between the two leagues as early as next year.<\/p>\n That is because the expectation is that the AFL would normally host at least two of the qualifying and elimination finals at the MCG. <\/p>\n If the NFL game was on Friday, for example, that would force the AFL elsewhere and leave the league up against the clock to have the stadium ready for a Saturday game. <\/p>\n The AFL, of course, in an ideal world does not want to have a final on Sunday. That would obviously change if all four finals games were hosted by Victorian teams. <\/p>\n But otherwise, the AFL would only need one or two of the eight non-Victorian sides to be hosting a final to make the process a lot less complicated. <\/p>\n It sounds like the NFL is willing to work with the AFL by moving next year\u2019s MCG game, should it take place, to Thursday.<\/p>\n The turf will have to be replaced. (Photo by Robert Cianflone\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI spoke to San Francisco 49ers CEO Al Guido today. He says this is a game that we should have for decades in Victoria. It\u2019s been that popular,\u201d Ralph said on Fox Footy\u2019s Midweek Tackle, with estimations that Victoria forked out around $10 to 15 million per game. <\/p>\n Ralph reported that the \u201cmost likely scenario\u201d is that the NFL would play next year\u2019s game on the Thursday instead of Friday, which would be a big deal given it would make the Australia fixture the season-opener.<\/p>\n For context, this season kicked off with the highly-anticipated Super Bowl rematch between New England and Seattle.<\/p>\n All eyes are on the first game of the season. Football-starved fans flock to their televisions. It would be a huge coup for Melbourne, and make the most sense for the NFL given multiple players this week have said the game should not be moved away from Week 1.<\/p>\n They can take solace in knowing NFL executive vice president Peter O\u2019Reilly feels the same way, confirming to reporters last week that the game will not be shifted to later in the schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cA week one game is important given the travel there and \u200bthe travel back,\u201d O\u2019Reilly said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, yes is the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE NFL NEWS<\/p>\n THE RAMS: Australia\u2019s NFL team is the Super Bowl favourite. But they\u2019re ignoring the elephant in the room<\/a><\/p>\n EVERY NFL TEAM RANKED: All 32 clubs placed in tiers ahead of 2026-27 season<\/a><\/p>\n Aussie rugby coach trains NFL star | 00:48<\/p>\n STUNNING PROOF OF AUSSIE NFL TAKEOVER<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s game hasn\u2019t even kicked off, and yet already it seems like the NFL\u2019s historic foray down under has been a raging success.<\/p>\n You only had to look at the massive queue to get into a pop-up NFL shop in Melbourne\u2019s CBD for proof of it.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just there either. There was a long wait for fans wanting to get into the 49ers pop-up event at Transport Public Bar in Federation Square, and the same went for the Rams tailgate event. <\/p>\n Fans then later flocked to the NFL Kickoff Festival, which has been described as an immersive American-style football takeover that opened up on Thursday and continues all the way until Saturday at Melbourne Park. <\/p>\n Tickets for day one started at $49 with performances from Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders and Rams Mariachi, along with Kita Alexander and Peking Duk while there was a live Q&A including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Rams and 49ers Legends Jerry Rice and Tory Holt before Australian sporting stars took part in a cross-code skills challenge.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, tickets at the cavernous MCG were snapped up within minutes, echoing the interest the NFL has enjoyed when staging games in other overseas markets.<\/p>\n This year the league will play in seven countries across four continents in an unprecedented global schedule.<\/p>\n Australia is the latest added to the slate, the league saying the country has 6.6 million NFL fans.<\/p>\n Australia is seen as a significant overseas market for the NFL. Since 2024 the Gold Coast has been home to an NFL academy with a growing number of Australians making their mark, led by the Philadelphia Eagles\u2019 Jordan Mailata, Michael Dickson (Seattle Seahawks) and Cameron Johnston (Pittsburgh Steelers).<\/p>\n NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said this week\u2019s game was part of their long-term strategy for Australia, despite the logistical challenges and 17-hour time difference to the US West Coast.<\/p>\n \u201cOur view is that we\u2019re coming here for the long-term. We don\u2019t come as a one-off, this isn\u2019t a circus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is something that\u2019s an investment in this market and we believe that this is long-term and will be great for the NFL long-term.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery ticket that we put out for public sale was gone in a matter of minutes,\u201d he added. \u201cI think that\u2019s a demonstration of the demand for this event.\u201d <\/p>\n Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n 49ers fans are seen outside the MCG. (Photo by Robert Cianflone\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n RAMS GAMBLE ON BOLD TRAVEL STRATEGY<\/p>\n The Rams are attempting to pull off their most ambitious play of the season well before coach Sean McVay ever calls one.<\/p>\n The strategy seems simple: Fly nearly 16 hours to Australia, cross the international dateline, land in Melbourne on Thursday, check into the hotel, go to sleep, wake up and play an NFL game.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, their opponent, the 49ers, have already been on the ground in Melbourne for days, acclimating to the time change. The Rams are deliberately doing the opposite. Only one of these strategies will prevail.<\/p>\n McVay and the Rams chose to remain in Los Angeles as long as possible before departing for their season opener against their longtime NFC West rivals.<\/p>\n The Rams\u2019 theory is an assault on jet lag: Don\u2019t give the body enough time to realise where it is.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll sleep through the night, and then we\u2019ll get there and have kind of a rhythm,\u201d McVay said.<\/p>\n There is at least one significant perk. This won\u2019t be 53 football players attempting to sleep upright in economy.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got full lay-flat beds,\u201d McVay said. \u201cAll of our players have that.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE NFL NEWS<\/p>\n NEW STAR DOWN UNDER: How US journo became an Aussie \u2018novelty\u2019… and AFL gun\u2019s act that left him \u2018starstruck\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n