MELBOURNE, Australia — Richard Trang booked tickets shortly after the NFL announced the Los Angeles Rams’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers would be played in Australia, and was one of thousands of Americans who made their first trip Down Under to coincide with the game.
An accountant who is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, but now lives in San Francisco, Trang soaked up the atmosphere on a bright, sunny Friday morning at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“It was great to see all those red jerseys,” Trang said before the game. “I love the mutual respect between Niners fans and the Aussies. We love that the Niners came a week early and the Aussies feel the same way.”
The 49ers come early, the Rams come late.
The 49ers arrived last week and took time in Melbourne to prepare for the game. The Rams arrived a day ahead of schedule.
Nick and Dorcas Mwangi, who live in Los Angeles, described the opportunity to see the Rams play in Australia as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The couple, decked out in Rams paraphernalia, said their team’s fly-in and fly-out approach was the right way to go.
“They won’t be here long enough to allow them to feel the jet lag,” Dorcas Mwangi said.
“It’s very simple,” Nick Dorcas added. “There are no distractions. You come in, do things and then leave.”
The Mwangi took advantage of Melbourne’s walkability to explore local landmarks along the way, from Federation Square to St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral.
Hope for tickets upon arrival
Other fans arrived without tickets, hoping to get lucky a few days before the match. Dion Carrancho was one of the lucky ones.
“We usually wait until game day because prices go down, so that’s what we did,” said Carrancho, who lives in Los Angeles but supports the 49ers. Before the game, he was confident: The Rams are the Super Bowl favorites, but we will beat them. We always do this.”
Carrancho also plans to travel to Mexico City when San Francisco plays the Minnesota Vikings in November.
Lifetime Rams fan Rick Lane from Albuquerque, New Mexico was making his third trip to Australia but his first to the southeastern city of Melbourne.
“I’m here to watch my Rams play,” the 66-year-old electrician said. “I’ve been a fan since 1969. The first game I saw on TV was the Rams and Vikings, and I fell in love with rams horns.”
Lane also wasn’t concerned about the Rams’ approach to the road ahead of the Melbourne game.
“My flight lasted 17 hours, I slept for 13,” he said. The Rams players “had full-flat beds and I didn’t have any of the privileges that they had, so I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
Major NFL events always result in long lines for souvenirs and merchandise, and Melbourne is no exception.
Hundreds of fans standing for hours on the pavement outside the official NFL store in the city center went viral earlier this week, and the queues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on game day were similar.
Hundreds and hundreds of fans stood in snaking lines in the concourse outside the stadium to get a chance to check out the merchandise, while hundreds more lined up in fewer spots inside the arena to buy something as proof of attendance for the first regular-season NFL game in Australia.
Aussies get NFL experience
Many Australians also took advantage of the opportunity to watch their favorite team play at the iconic MCG.
Andrew Burgess, from Nelson Bay near Sydney in NSW, said he has been a 49ers supporter since he saw them on television in the 1980s.
The 68-year-old retiree traveled overseas to watch the 49ers but said it meant “everything” to see the team on Australian soil.
“Especially because we are playing the role of our nemesis,” he said. “This is one of the biggest games of the season.”
Burgess was realistic about the viewing experience at the G, an oval-shaped stadium that is usually home to cricket and Australian rules football.
“The distance from the touchline is an issue. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll be eight miles from the action,” he said jokingly, “but I don’t care. Once it was announced, no-shows weren’t an option.”