Australia's pipeline to the NFL includes talent, not just eyeballs

American football is steadily building a pipeline in Australia that extends well beyond TV audiences. In Melbourne, Troy Wykes of American Football Queensland described the country’s challenge with enrollment for a sport that competes with Australian rules football and rugby league. His group is focused on developing tackle football, even as the NFL pushes flag football for Olympic inclusion: flag is set to debut in the 2028 Los Angeles Games and continue through 2032 in Brisbane. The NFL’s regular-season opener in Australia—49ers vs. Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground—kicks off Thursday at 5:35 pm PT. Seven Australians made NFL 53-man rosters last week, including Eagles’ Jordan Mailata and Jaguars’ Dan Faalele.