- Bulldogs want to be part of the opening of Las Vegas 2026 season
- Have a radical change in mind for your shirts
- There could be significant barriers that avoid change.
The Bulldogs are planning a great change in their shirts for the third year of the NRL starting the season in Las Vegas in 2026, but there could be an important obstacle that prevents it from happening.
The CEO of the Bulldogs, Aaron Warburton, has revealed plans for the club to restore the names of the players in the back of the shirts in all grades.
While sports such as football and basketball commonly names of Emblazon players in the back of the shirts, the NRL has never adopted the concept.
There have been occasions in the past where names were included, such as the 1997 Super League season, the inaugural season of Melbourne's storm in 1998 and in the state of origin.
But for the games of the regular season, fans have to exercise players for their number.
Warburton wants to change that in Las Vegas and believes that the commitment of fans will increase.
The Bulldogs used to have players names in their shirts in the 1997 Super League season
Melbourne Storm Hooker Richard Swain with his name in his shirt in the first season of Club NRL in 1998
“It's about overcoming the limits … it's about we put the Bulldogs on the map,” Warburton told Sen.
'We are really talking to the NRL at this time because we believe it is the perfect time to implement the surnames in the back of the shirts.
'Something as simple as we believe that fans will really involve.
'There is a lot of online chat, particularly with our fans base, around why they can't see Burton or Kikau or Mahoney on the backs of the shirts with their number.
'Statistics say they want it, and we are really open to it. It would be a discussion for us and for all clubs and, in particular, the sponsor of Top of-Jersey negotiate how it would look for the last name.
News Corp has reported that it is unlikely that the NRL gives the idea the green light unless it unfolds throughout the league.
And fans have also chosen a key problem with the proposal.
'What about the lost income from which the name of the sponsors is currently?' One asked.
The space where the names of the players were currently occupied by sponsors
Players like Matt Burton could have their names on their shirt for the first game of the Las Vegas season in 2026
'100% should do it. In addition, it should reduce the number of sponsors in the shirts, 'he published another.
However, Warburton says that having the names of the players there will actually bring more eyes to sponsor logos as well.
“We have started some of the internally conversations and the metrics behind this,” Warburton said.
“We do not want to address any particular sponsor with” this is how we are going to reduce the awareness of its brand. “
'Some of the first investigations have suggested that it will actually amplify it only in terms of the amount of interest and ocular balloons in that space.
'The size of the logo, anything that does with that by reducing it will reduce the value.
'But we believe there is much more to assess a sponsor logo than only eye balloons. If you are improving the day of the game day, it could be an exhibition of 10 times but in a different way. '
NRL fans are not so safe. While there was a lot of support, others indicated system failures.
'The problem here is that a player is not in a particular number permanently. The players exchange positions, they are starting the bank, it is not like the NFL or the NBA where a player is assigned a shirt number, '' one published one.
“The shirts are expensive enough, adding the names of the players would boost the retail price of more than $ 200,” said another.
Cricket is the most recent sport to take the names of the players to the shirts, with the ICC implementing it in Crick Test despite a lot of opposition.