Vegas students embrace rugby league as NRL wraps up community visit

Thousands of US students have received their first taste of rugby league as the NRL invests in a long-term plan to grow the sport in America.

NRL game development staff connected with nearly 20,000 students in Las Vegas in a week-long blitz to introduce youngsters to the game. 

The program builds on the work conducted during the past two years, with Allegiant Stadium hosting the opening games of the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The NRL will return to Vegas for a third time in 2026. 

The trip was led by NRL Participation Growth Manager Jono Dallas, who is confident the students will develop into rugby league fans as they receive more opportunities to play the game.

"Getting people from a country like America to fall in love with a new sport is a big task, but the gateway is through the schools," Dallas said. "It's such an enormous community of kids and families, so we're investing time into them” 

"It's going to be beneficial for us as a game and will show the American people that we're putting resources and effort into their local kids.

"By getting the schools to participate in rugby league clinics, they're developing an interest and hopefully they will come out and watch the NRL games at Allegiant Stadium next year."

Dallas and his team visited 18 schools in the Clark County region, connecting with around 20,000 students during their time in Las Vegas.

The youngsters were put through a range of drills as they were introduced to the sport. An equipment pack was also gifted to each school, featuring balls and equipment for children to continue to play the game.

The NRL will return to Vegas to kick off the 2026 season, with another triple-header at Allegiant Stadium on February 28. The Bulldogs will face the Dragons and Newcastle will take on North Queensland. UK Super League clubs Hull KR and Leeds will also play in the opening game of the event.

A schools gala day will be held in the lead up to the games, with 32 teams already entering into the program.

The event will be run in partnership with the Las Vegas Raiders and will see NRL players interact with school students.

The youngsters will then be celebrated with a lap of honour at Allegiant Stadium during the triple-header.

"A key pillar for expansion in the US market is taking our great game to the community and showcasing the fun, inclusiveness and skills of rugby league," NRL GM of US Expansion John Vellis said.

"Broadening the great work the participation team do in Australia to a completely new market like the US, also showcases the high calibre of NRL personnel like Jono, Kyle, Karli, Marshal and Taylor who have contributed to the considerable growth of our game at a grassroots level."

The school blitz is one aspect of a long-term project to grow rugby league in the US. 

With international rugby league booming, the NRL has opened their season in Las Vegas for the past two years and is committed to developing a supporter base in America. 

A nines competition will also be held prior to the season opener, providing an opportunity for older athletes to play the sport.

Grassroots participation is a key part of the plan and multiple schools have already reached out to the NRL to participate in the program.

Dallas hopes to introduce more students to rugby league in the new year while also laying the foundations for youngsters to play the sport on a regular basis.

"We'd like to help them play rugby league as regularly as we can," Dallas said. "We've already had teachers requesting session plans so they can keep running them.

"We left an equipment pack at every school, so they got footies, cones and tags. We visited 18 schools, but there are over 380 in the district, so building that trust with the Clark County School District is a real benefit for our game.

"It’s the first time we’ve ran such a program, but we’ve been overwhelmed with the feedback to have us back and keep working with the schools. If we keep doing that, it's going to pay dividends in the next couple of years for the local communities support of our game."

Be there to witness history live at Allegiant Stadium. Tickets for the NRL's season opener are selling fast. Click HERE for ticket and travel packages.