Canterbury General Manager Phil Gould has urged Bulldogs fans to cover Las Vegas in blue and white as the club looks to continue its growth as a global brand.
The Bulldogs were one of four teams unveiled on Wednesday to participate in the NRL's third visit to the US holiday hotspot and will take on St George Illawarra February 28.
The Cowboys will play the Knights, with Hull KR v Leeds in the third match of a blockbuster triple-header at Allegiant Stadium.
With the Bulldogs flying high at the top of the NRL ladder, Gould said the time is right for the club to expand their global reach.
It's on again!
"For our fans, our members and the brand itself, the bigger we can be, the more impact we can have, the greater the platform that we are," Gould said.
"From the first day when they went there and had that first weekend in Las Vegas, to see our game on that platform in that city being exposed the way it was, every club would like their fans to experience that.
"We wanted to make sure that when we went there that we were strong enough to compete and do well and that we could plan it properly so our members and fans could come with us and enjoy the experience and put the Bulldogs on that stage.
"It goes to the type of club we want to be. It's as simple as that, it's big, we want to be part of it and we're going to be a part of it."
The on and off-field turnaround at Canterbury has been remarkable in the four years Gould has been in the job.
The club was wallowing towards the bottom of the ladder and struggling financially when the experienced administrator took over in 2021.
NRL stars keen to build on Vegas success
Now, the Bulldogs are flying high after last year's drought-breaking finals appearance and a genuine premiership force.
Fans have turned out in droves, with more than 60,000 supporters packing into Accor Stadium for their recent Good Friday clash with the Rabbitohs and commercial partners have surged since 2021.
Canterbury officials considered making a play to feature in Las Vegas this season, before ultimately opting to wait another year before expressing their interest in the extravaganza.
Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton said the benefits of that decision will be clear when the streets of Vegas are covered in blue and white early next year.
"We love what the NRL are doing in terms of thinking big," Warburton said. "We are putting ourselves on the map.
"Everyone's got their opinion as to what size the map really us but for us, we did a lot of research about when we were going to be ready for Vegas. I got back last year and we said it's not our turn, so we pulled our submission for 25.
"Then we had a lot of buy in from Phil, who spent a lot of time on the ground over there, the chairman was there, our coach will head over before Christmas to do a bit of work.
"We don't do things in halves and it wasn't the time for the Bulldogs the year before but it definitely is in '26."
Match: Bulldogs v Roosters
Round 11 -
home Team
Bulldogs
1st Position
away Team
Roosters
12th Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
The Bulldogs' involvement in the Las Vegas venture is just one aspect of the club's overarching strategic plan.
Canterbury have partnered with the Kaiviti Silktails in the Jersey Flegg competition and recently announced a partnership with St Laurence's College Brisbane to establish a training base for Queensland-contracted players.
On Wednesday Warburton unveiled the Game Changers initiative, a program designed in partnership with key local community stakeholders to provide teenagers with essential life skills.
The brainchild of Bulldogs growth and innovation boss Ramy Haidar, this year's pilot has run in six schools, with a long-term plan to expand to more than 40 schools.
Gould has seen countless youngsters pass through the halls of rugby league clubs over the years and said it's vital all children have the opportunity to develop crucial life skills.
"This program is especially great because it gives kids the opportunity to not just engage with [coaches and our football players] but it teaches them things they don't get in school," Gould said.
"It's stuff that's going to help them later in life. Stuff that we didn't get in school, that we had to learn the hard way for ourselves. The more [kids] can engage and understand the police are there to help them and there are people who they can reach out to for support.
"That extremely important and because of the popularity of the NRL, the popularity of the Bulldogs ... we can engage with the community directly. That's why it's important our football clubs take on this responsibility and it's a responsibility we take very seriously."
