MELBOURNE — The Melbourne Cricket Ground has played host to soccer friendlies for decades, exhibition matches with nothing on the line. No stakes, no standings.
What happens this week is the opposite, an NFL opener between the Rams and San Francisco 49ers. The bad blood is real. It’s an undeniable unfriendly.
No better place to stage a NFC West showdown 8,000 miles from home than a venue that’s a cricket cathedral, a centerpiece of the 1956 Olympic Games, and the site of three sold-out Eras Tour concerts that drew 96,000 Swifties per night.
Now, for the first time, the NFL is preparing to unveil a regular-season game Down Under.
“It’s an ambitious, bold plan,” said Stuart Fox, chief executive of the Melbourne Cricket Club.
“We weren’t sure the NFL would fly this far given their international schedule. It’s a huge thrill. The excitement shows in ticket demand; it was pretty much sold out straight away. As we get closer to the date, the excitement keeps building.”
The timing is a challenge, and not just for the Rams and 49ers. The date falls in the middle of the Australian rules football finals, and it’s likely the MCG — affectionately nicknamed “The G” — will host a match in the twilight slot on Saturday evening, roughly 24 hours after the NFL rivals play. (49ers-Rams will take place on Thursday night in the U.S.)
That means replacing turf, putting down new field markings, taking down the goal posts, cleaning the entire place and the like. In cricket terms, it’s a sticky wicket.
“Thousands of staff will work through the night,” Fox said. “It’s the tightest turnaround in MCG history. Getting it right matters, because the AFL finals are one of the most important times of the year for us.”
Fox said the plan is to do a considerable amount of turf replacement, but not because he expects the pristine grass to take a beating from the cleats of massive humans.
“It’s because of the NFL’s extensive line markings,” he said. “The NFL loves its paint, especially in the end zones. Those sections get pulled up, new turf goes down, and we’re playing on it again within 24 hours.”
Unlike a football stadium, the MCG has a huge, oval-shaped field, which means there will be more perimeter space around the playing surface. Surely, that will be consumed by production equipment as the NFL is treating this game like a mini-Super Bowl, complete with the Jonas Brothers performing at halftime.
“We’re building an unforgettable experience for fans, and having an internationally renowned act like the Jonas Brothers perform at halftime reinforces the scale and significance of this historic event,” Charlotte Offord, the NFL’s general manager of Australia and New Zealand said in a news release. “We can’t wait to welcome our fans from across Australia and beyond for a truly world-class celebration of sport and entertainment.”
Naturally, the game will have an Australian flair, with concession stands selling meat pies with tomato sauce (essentially ketchup), sausage rolls, hot chips, along with hot dogs. High-end coffee options, too, as that’s a point of pride for Melbourne.
Not bad for a venue that has occupied its current site since 1853, land that was once used for police-force horse paddocks and is a short, happy walk from downtown Melbourne.
Come to think of it, not unfriendly at all.
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