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A coffee at Federation Square followed by a walk along the Yarra River to the MCG was the key to sealing the deal to bring the NFL to Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Visiting delegations usually travel between their hotels and venues in blacked-out people movers but Melbourne\u2019s negotiating team was determined to do things differently to win over the National Football League.<\/p>\n
![\"Wide](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788818124_212_3b706e45a38eeccac33291f5f760f3e5148f646e.jpeg\")
Wide receiver Jacob Cowing at a San Francisco 49ers training session at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Monday. Luke Hemer<\/p>\n
By walking to the MCG, Brendan McClements, the chief executive of Visit Victoria, says he was able to show the connection of the MCG to the city \u201cwhich is unusual in world terms\u201d.<\/p>\n
Walking along Birrarung Marr, he could also point out to the visiting contingent the railway lines at Jolimont and tram tracks showing the capacity for spectators to move in and out of the venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to show our city off in a way that I think everyone would like it to be represented,\u201d he says. \u201cBeautiful day, lovely walk, magnificent stadium, and you get to enjoy it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
How much was paid the NFL to secure the deal is unclear, with estimates of $30 million to $45 million<\/a> for the three-game deal, a figure that McClements won\u2019t be drawn on, claiming the information is \u201ccabinet in confidence\u201d.<\/p>\n McClements is otherwise happy to reveal how Victoria out-negotiated New South Wales, Western Australia, Korea and Japan for the NFL deal which resulted in the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Los Angeles Rams at the MCG on Friday.<\/p>\n Related Article Landing the first NFL game to be played on Australian soil was a long process. McClements first approached the NFL 15 years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been on Victoria\u2019s radar for quite a while,\u201d McClements says. \u201cA distinguishing feature now is that the NFL is very much focused on its international footprint, where it wasn\u2019t really there in 2011.\u201d<\/p>\n With the NFL set to play a record nine international games across four continents and seven countries during the 2026 season, the timing was right.<\/p>\n McClements flew to London for an initial meeting with long-serving NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I took away from that was, OK, actually, this is very serious,\u201d McClements says. \u201cWe\u2019re not dancing with our sister here. We\u2019ve got someone who\u2019s serious about wanting to come to Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t hurt that Goodell has friends who have been to Melbourne for the Australian Open tennis.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was aware of Melbourne\u2019s capacity to host and deliver major events in part through his own social network,\u201d McClements says. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like a third-party recommendation to give you some credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n The capacity of the MCG, which could hold more than 100,000 fans for the game on Friday, was also \u201csignificantly appealing\u201d to Goodell.<\/p>\n The NFL commissioner was worried about whether 100,000 people would turn up at 10.30 in the morning for a sporting event but McClements pointed to the Boxing Day Test and Melbourne Cup as proof of Melbourne\u2019s devotion to sport.<\/p>\n McClements says he also wanted to make sure Goodell had authority to close the deal after the tourism boss had a bad experience trying to bring Premier League games to the city. In that case, talks hit a hurdle because the governing body did not have the support of the clubs.<\/p>\n \u201cI was interested in the commissioner\u2019s views on where his clubs and his players were at,\u201d McClements says. \u201cHe confirmed that they\u2019d given him commitments that they would make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n During the negotiations, the NFL flew about 30 to 40 people to Australia in five or six stages to go over every aspect of Victoria\u2019s proposal to host the competition.<\/p>\n Related Article This is where it got down to \u201cgranular details\u201d including how big the change rooms are, the closest hospital, whether Melbourne Airport operates 24 hours, and how far away hotels are from the MCG.<\/p>\n A major issue was the quality of the turf at the MCG and the grass profile which required \u201cdeep examination\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a high-performance sport at the end of the day,\u201d McClements says. \u201cFirst and foremost, it\u2019s about athletes\u2019 ability to perform and athletes\u2019 ability to perform safely.\u201d<\/p>\n McClements says the NFL spent a lot of time examining the quality of the MCG\u2019s surface and of the training facilities which include AAMI Stadium and Marvel Stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople think growing grass is simple,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge amount of science behind it, but pleasingly, the AFL surface is consistent with NFL standards.\u201d<\/p>\n Stuart Fox, chief executive of the Melbourne Cricket Club, says the MCC began assisting Visit Victoria two years ago in its bid to host the NFL Melbourne game by working through the logistics of hosting a regular season game at the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cWe helped to outline how we could facilitate their turf, locker room and broadcast requirements which were some of the operational deliverables important to the NFL,\u201d he says. \u201cHaving hosted rugby union, NRL State of Origin and soccer matches in recent years, we are well versed in adapting the MCG into different sporting modes, and this no different.\u201d<\/p>\n The Victorian negotiation team made its final presentation to the NFL over Zoom, adopting the lighthearted style of the Saturday Night Live comedy show.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was much more relaxing, much more engaging,\u201d McClements says. \u201cI think that\u2019s something that probably set us apart.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s not as clear is the financial return to Melbourne and Victoria from winning the right to host the NFL games.<\/p>\n Visit Victoria calculates that 51 per cent of the tickets to Friday\u2019s game have been sold inside Victoria, 39 per cent to interstate visitors and about 10 per cent to international visitors.<\/p>\n Accommodation Australia has Melbourne\u2019s hotel occupancies tracking at 40 per cent higher than the same days last year.<\/p>\n![\"Penny](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788818125_695_821fec5cdad568259908f5a443ca50eb72892c54.jpeg\")
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Brendan McClements, chief executive of Visit Victoria, says negotiations began 15 years ago to bring the NFL to Melbourne. Getty Images <\/p>\n![\"NFL](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788818126_724_3cb59efccf49f4d72d7401ab0327f2d4d8036838.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788818127_778_11ed39586ea7921310155d8c52c55830f1b273c0.jpeg\")
The San Francisco 49ers cheer leaders perform at Federation Square at the weekend to score a Guinness World Record. Chris Hopkins<\/p>\n
![\"Welcome](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788818128_584_65a9f123e139d0a306011065be61c5600b97ed77.jpeg\")
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