The Canterbury Bulldogs have declared Peter Brandy’s ready to make a bold move into the Middle East as early as next year and will prove it with a blockbuster week in Las Vegas that will “turn Fremont Street into Burwood Road in Belmore”.

talk to fox sports australia In Los Angeles at the weekend, Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton confirmed his club, which has a large Arab fan base, had already held talks with the NRL. About headliners in Abu Dhabi or Dubai in 2027.

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The revelation comes as the Bulldogs are currently landing in Las Vegas in droves, making up the largest traveling crew ever for the NRL showcase. The nearly 90 players and staff are expected to be joined in the coming days by thousands of members of the famous Bulldogs military.

Following a major club shake-up involving Bulldogs GM Phil Gould and head coach Cameron Cirardo, Canterbury will use this week to show on and off the field why they deserve to play in their first NRL game in the Middle East, with local government officials reportedly already offering $1.5 million a game.

Now, Warburton and Bulldogs chairman Adam Drewesi himself are wrapping up a whirlwind six days in San Francisco and Los Angeles that included strategic meetings with the San Francisco 49ers, Anaheim Ducks, Reddit, Red Bull, Intuit Dome, Salesforce and SoFi Stadium.

The Canterbury manager also confirmed the club was in talks to be at the forefront of the proposed NRL Global Round initiative, declaring that the opening game would be held in the Middle East and saying: “We’ll look at it for next year.”

Elsewhere, Sunday’s Las Vegas blockbuster doubles as the official unveiling of the Bulldogs’ new logo, with the club’s star athletes such as Stephen Crichton and Lakie Galvin also taking part in an exciting move that will see their last names splashed across the back of the Strip.

As well as having most of the NRL’s biggest squads and front office staff at the Las Vegas grounds this year, Canterbury will also have the largest proportion of traveling fans, hundreds of whom will walk en masse for Sunday’s Allegiant Stadium blockbuster, supported by the American marching band.

As part of the mega-event in Las Vegas, the Bulldogs will play St George Illawarra in the top game of the day, which will also see North Queensland v Newcastle and English Super League side Hull KR and Leeds.

The University of Canterbury, who are in the top five in TAB Premiership betting, are not just looking to pick up two competitive points in the entertainment capital of the world, they want to prove they are ready to step into other international opportunities in every sense of the word.

middle east

ARLC president Peter Brandis has already made no secret of his desire for a global round, which would include matches in other US cities such as Miami, as well as destinations such as London, Japan, Hong Kong and the Middle East.

When it comes to financial incentives, there is no doubt that the last destination on the list has the potential. There, huge sums of money are already being poured into sporting Goliaths such as F1, LIV Golf, UFC, FIFA World Cup and even famous boxing events.

Enter the Bulldogs.

With Canterbury boasting one of the most diverse fan bases in Australian sport, Warburton revealed he had already spoken to Vlandys about the possibility of playing matches in the Middle East in 2027.

“Our fan base comes from all over the world, so why can’t the Bulldogs be a trendsetter from a global perspective?” Warburton said.

“We will look into playing games in the Middle East for next year.

“Obviously, the temperatures are serious at the time of year they’re talking about, so we’re going to need an indoor stadium with temperature control and things like that.

“But we’ve already talked about that idea.”

The Bulldogs are known for their strong Arab fan base and have long been associated with events such as hosting the annual Iftar, the dinner that Muslims eat at sunset and evening prayers to break their daily Ramadan fast.

Bulldogs great Hajim El-Masri has also long been regarded as a pioneer of Islam, but around 60 per cent of residents within the Canterbury local government area speak a language other than English at home.

Back in November, Brisbane Broncos also revealed they had been invited to play Hull KR in the World Club Challenge in the Middle East last weekend, with government officials reportedly willing to pay up to $1.5 million for the match.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were discussed as potential hosts, but the deal was scrapped for logistical reasons as Hull KR also need to play in Las Vegas this weekend.

las vegas takeover

Not only do the Bulldogs boast the largest squad of all four NRL teams, with the entire front office staff traveling to Las Vegas, but they are also thought to have the biggest traveling fanbase, including old boys like Terry Lamb, Willie Mason, James Graham and Josh Reynolds.

On game day, the club is organizing all fans to gather at the House of Blues Bar inside the Mandalay Bay Casino, then head to the field in their thousands to the accompaniment of the American marching band.

“Burwood Road becomes Belmore to Las Vegas Boulevard,” Warburton said with a laugh. “Or Fremont Street.

“Our fans love to celebrate and I’m sure they will.

“We also know that all Australian fans will be watching together and as part of a crowd that is twice as large as a normal game.”

why now?

Since signing on as the Bulldogs’ head coach in 2023, Cameron Ciraldo has slowly and deliberately transformed a squad that has now appeared in the Finals the past two years and is shaping up as a true title contender in 2026.

Warburton admits that while the club simply wasn’t ready to be part of NRL Las Vegas for the first two years, due to a variety of factors, the timing has now come to announce that they are ready to move into this and future global rounds.

“As a club, we not only wanted to go to Las Vegas confident that we had a team that the club could be proud of, but we also wanted to go to Las Vegas with stability in terms of players, coaching staff, board, all aspects,” he said.

“We wanted to make sure we had a clear direction of where the club was going.

“That was always important.

“We had to make sure the timing was right to travel to America and present the club to such a large audience.”

jersey

Canterbury will be the only team in Las Vegas to display players’ last names on the back of their jerseys, and each player is also set to receive a cash prize each time a fan buys their unique jumper.

The one-off concept has already been approved by both the NRL and RLPA, and Warburton stressed the motivation for the concept, now common in many other sports, was simple.

“That’s what the fans want,” he said. “When we conducted a survey, 97% of respondents said these jerseys were what they were looking for.

“Also, around 75% of fans say they will buy a second jersey because they have more than one favorite player.

“It also allows us to make players instantly recognizable while also allowing new audiences to get to know them better.

“And if we sell, say, 500 jerseys with Stephen Crichton’s name on the back, he’ll get a clip from each jersey.

“So by commercializing their families, traditions, history and all the IP that goes with it, we’re also putting money back into players’ pockets.”

The Dogs have already sold more than 1,000 jerseys with players’ names on them and are willing to wear them “as many times as possible” if the NRL deems the data from the trial is valuable.

new logo

Sunday’s showcase will also serve as the first NRL game for the club’s new logo.

Unlike the old badge, where the Bulldog image took up only half of the space, the club’s bold new design takes up 98% of the site. Meanwhile, it retains the circular style of the 1980s and the same CB that has sat on the collar since 1935.

While there was no doubt there was some debate surrounding the change, Warburton stressed that the new logo is undoubtedly bold, instantly recognizable and key to attracting even more fans to what has long been a “family club”.

“And this weekend’s game is a big stage to start,” he said. “The funny thing is, that wasn’t the plan.

“All new logos must be submitted to the NRL 18 months prior to launch to allow them to pass trademark registration and licensing.

“But there’s no doubt that Las Vegas is the perfect location for our first NRL game to showcase a logo that we’re very proud of. And it doesn’t matter whether you see it on the big screen at Allegiant Stadium or on Instagram, you’ll know what it is right away.”

front office

Aside from his own crazy meetings, Warburton confirmed that the entire Bulldogs’ front office will be out on the field in Las Vegas helping the team prepare, as well as conducting various meetings and tours themselves, including to Allegiant Stadium and the UFC Performance Institute.

“We are a people business,” the CEO said. “Our biggest expense is our people, and we’re proud of that.

“So attracting the best talent and retaining them on and off the field is how you build a successful club and that’s what Canterbury has always strived to do.”

Shortly after, Warburton continued: “We are in a competitive situation on and off the field with our NRL opponents, not to mention the rest of the domestic market, and we are conscious of that.

“That’s why everything we do must be of the highest standards.”

That’s why this weekend’s Bulldogs jerseys, with a new logo on the front and players’ names on the back, will be filled with the type of guys that both Gould and Szilard feel can reach an NRL title.

So what is the Bulldogs coach looking forward to most besides the two competitive points?

“That’s a good question,” he said. “There’s a lot to look forward to.

“But really?

“It’s giving Las Vegas a taste of the Bulldogs.”