S’pore, HK keen to host Aussie Rugby League grand final

SINGAPORE — The successful staging of the Super Rugby and HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series this year at the National Stadium appear to have made the 55,000-capacity venue attractive to other sporting promoters, with Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) looking to stage a grand final here.

According to Australia’s editions of the Sunday Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Singapore and Hong Kong have approached the NRL — widely considered the top league for professional rugby league clubs in Australasia — to offer their stadiums to host the grand final during ANZ Stadium’s four-year renovation.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, a Singapore Sports Hub spokesperson said: “We are always open to, and welcome discussions on, hosting events at the Singapore Sports Hub.”

ANZ Stadium, an 83,000-capacity arena in Sydney, is due to have a US$700 million (S$959 million) facelift from 2018 to 2021. During that period of upgrading works, the NRL needs a temporary home for two grand finals.

Sydney will host two grand finals during that period with the Sydney Cricket Ground, while the other two editions are still very much up for grabs. New Zealand has also expressed interest in staging an NRL grand final, according to the reports.

Hong Kong has a ready-made 40,000-seater stadium in So Kon Po, but the venue is barely half of ANZ Stadium’s capacity.

Andrew Abdo, the NRL’s commercial head, was quoted as saying that the interest from Hong Kong and Singapore was an example of how strong rugby league has become in non-traditional league markets.

Moving the game overseas, however, is not the NRL’s preferred option, although it could generate millions of dollars for the game in a friendly time zone, he said. “It’s a sign of the game’s strength but, ultimately, we want to stage our premier event in Australia or New Zealand where our most avid fans can see it,” explained Abdo. “Our priority is giving our fans who watch the NRL week in, week out the chance to attend a grand final.”

Last month’s HSBC World Rugby Singapore Sevens saw over 50,000 fans attend across two days of rugby action. The three Super Rugby matches — regarded as “home” fixtures in Singapore for the Japan-based Sunwolves — were March 12 and 26, and May 14. Each match drew crowds of about 9,000. ADELENE WONG