NRL Las Vegas: Why are the goalposts yellow?

NRL Las Vegas: Why are the goalposts yellow?

When the NRL kicks off the 2024 season in Las Vegas, a few things may stand out to the regular rugby league fan.

Among them, the ball, the size of the field and the colour of the goalposts.

Why are the goalposts yellow at the NRL’s season opener in Las Vegas?

While usually standing tall in white, the goalposts at the NRL’s season-opening double-header in Las Vegas are yellow.

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Sulphur yellow, to be precise.

The custom-made uprights were put together in Las Vegas after the NRL learned that shipping a pair of 16m posts from Australia could cost them around $50,000.

Instead, they sourced a local manufacturer to construct them and transport them to Allegiant Stadium.

But why yellow?

Well, that’s what they use in the NFL.

In an effort to appeal to an international audience, the NRL figured they could help find some familiarity with American fans by having yellow posts instead of white.

And if you’re wondering why they didn’t just use NFL posts, those are slightly wider (14cm) and are located at the back of the end zone, as opposed to the try-line.

NRL Las Vegas field size: What are the playing surface dimensions?

As home to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium isn’t exactly purpose built for rugby league.

The slightly smaller field has forced the NRL to alter the size of the playing surface for the two games being staged there.

Where normally an NRL field is 116m long (including 8m in-goal areas) and 68m wide, the playing surface in Las Vegas is 107.3m long (94.5m tryline to tryline, plus 6.4m in-goal areas) and 63.1m wide.

That makes for a difference of 1,117m² between the two.

For reference, an NFL field is 110m (360 feet) from the back of one end zone to the other, and 49m wide (160 feet).