‘Would love to play there’: Super Bowl champs’ plans for Australia
The Super Bowl winning Los Angeles Rams have left the door ajar to play an NFL game in Australia, two months after starting a relationship with the country.
In December, the NFL granted its teams marketing access to specific countries with the Rams getting sole rights in Australia, along with China and Mexico, and chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said he has “interesting plans” for the team engaging in the new markets.
An NFL pre-season match was held in Sydney in 1999 between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers, which are now the LA Chargers.
Speaking ahead of the Super Bowl LVI victory, Demoff said the Rams were keen to make the most of their new partnership with Australia and would “love” to bring a game Down Under.
His comments come only days after the NFL committed to hiring a general manager of Australia.
“Our head coach (Sean McVay) would probably kill me for sending the team there, but we have a lot of interesting plans for Australia and ways to engage,” he told ESPN.
“I would love to play a game there at some point; be it an exhibition game, or come for training camp, or if the NFL ever decides to put a (regular season) game over there, I think we would be the first to raise our hand and look to do it.
“It may be a while away. SoFi Stadium needs to be broken in a little bit more before we take another game out there, but the Rams played one of the first international games in Asia.
“They played one of the first international games in London (as well) and we have a pioneering, international spirit in our building and we can’t wait to get to Australia some way, somehow.”
The Rams flew former NFL punter and Geelong footballer Ben Graham to the United States for the Super Bowl, and Demoff said Australia’s history in the league was part of the appeal.
Australia’s former NFL punter Ben Graham is thrilled about the partnership with the LA Rams. Photo Tim Carrafa
Seven Australians played in the NFL this season, including punters Michael Dickson, Jordan Berry, Arryn Siposs, Mitch Wishnowsky and Cameron Johnston, defensive end Adam Gotsis and offensive tackle Jordan Mailata.
“When the NFL decided we had a chance to start to look and expand our presence into international markets, we were really excited about the possibility of Australia,” Demoff said.
“I was a huge Jordan Mailata fan in the draft and our staff overruled me and I remind them of that every day. I think when you look at the history of punters, kickers and now Jordan Mailata, it is a football-rich country.
“A chance to go invest in that is just a natural fit for us. It’s not a short flight, by any means. But it is basically the closest you can get between LA and getting to Australia and New Zealand.
“I think there’s a ton that we can do together to expand the presence of the Rams, to expand the presence of the NFL, and really work in partnership.
“You look at how passionate people are about sports in Australia and it’s that kind of passion that we see this week with the Super Bowl. That’s what we want to tap into, to really make this partnership work.”
