Elvis Presley’s iconic performances in Las Vegas earned him the infamous nickname ‘the nuclear-powered singer’ and in the words of Warrington Wolves CEO Karl Fitzpatrick: ‘We’re bringing the nuclear-powered sport to Vegas with our gladiators ready to steal the show.’
Super League is set to make history in March next year after it was confirmed that two of its biggest clubs, Warrington and Wigan Warriors, will play a league match at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas, alongside two Australian National Rugby League fixtures. It is a move that has been described as “potentially groundbreaking for British rugby league”.
There have been attempts to break out of the sport’s traditional northern English bubble before, but few, if any, have felt as important as this one. There is a ready-made platform for Super League to capitalise on after the NRL drew a crowd of more than 45,000 for its double-header in Vegas in March this year. It offers the chance to grow in a new market like never before.
Wigan and Warrington open a four-match festival of rugby league on Saturday, March 1, featuring the first Super League match in the United States. The NRL doubleheader of Canberra v New Zealand Warriors and Penrith v Cronulla then takes place, with a women’s Test between England and Australia also on the bill.
Wigan and Warrington played a friendly in Milwaukee in 1989, but this, with league points on the line in a world-famous entertainment city, feels like a much bigger moment for the sport. “We have a great opportunity to redefine what we think is possible,” Wigan chief executive Kris Radlinski told the Guardian.
The reigning Super League and world champions have forgone a regular home Super League fixture to host the event. Radlinski admitted it was a financial gamble but said it was an opportunity Wigan could not pass up.
“If we all play our part – players, directors, fans – then that could take us to a really good place,” he said. “It’s a gamble. It’s a home game for us, there are two league points at stake and we have to give our fans one game back on their season ticket. We lose some income from matches and hospitality, but that’s a risk my owner was prepared to take.
“The fact that it’s a meaningful game means a lot, I think. There are league points at stake here. The fact that it’s part of an NRL calendar where there are league points up for grabs for their clubs as well, means everything on the day. I can’t stress enough how big a moment this is for rugby league.”
Radlinski is largely responsible for Super League’s inclusion in the festival alongside the NRL next year following a speculative email to Australian powerbroker Peter V’landys shortly after the historic first double-header in Vegas this year. Radlinski said Warrington was the obvious choice to play Wigan in what will be a rematch of this year’s Challenge Cup final.
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“Fitzy is an ideas man, we get together every month and put it in our diaries and talk about the challenges and ideas in the game,” Radlinski said of Fitzpatrick, his Warrington colleague. “Working with him was a big factor for me. And then there’s the Sam Burgess effect and when you look at it all, it’s a no-brainer for them to come on board. It was great working with them at Wembley.”
Fitzpatrick has consistently challenged Super League to think big and try to broaden its horizons beyond its roots. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was excited about the magnitude of the opportunity that awaits both clubs. “I think this is the biggest moment in Super League history,” he said. “I’ve been involved in professional rugby league since 1997, first as a player and now as an administrator. We’ve been to Twickenham, the Nou Camp. This tops all those others. This is an opportunity like no other. We’re talking about breaking our bubble – this ticks every box.
“When you look at the turnout this year and the market you potentially enter next year, it’s categorically unprecedented. It shows what happens when you think differently and think big. Today is potentially the start of a life-changing journey for rugby league.”