2028年的NRL大奖赛正面临一场日程难题。[1]教宗利奥十四世计划在10月长周末访问悉尼并主持教宗弥撒，与NRL大奖赛同日举行，两项大型活动将对悉尼的交通、警力和公共资源造成压力。[1]为化解这一冲突，NRL正与新南威尔士州政府协商应对方案。[1]
可行的解决方案包括将大奖赛提前至9月举办，或将赛事迁至州外场地，如布里斯班的松柏球场或墨尔本的MCG。[1]教宗弥撒预计在皇家兰德威克赛马场举行，而NRL大奖赛将在阿科体育馆进行。[1]据历史记载，2008年教宗本笃十六世访澳时在兰德威克举行弥撒吸引了约40万人参加。[1]澳大利亚总理阿尔巴内塞去年曾邀请教宗访澳。[1]
The 2028 NRL Grand Final may need to be rescheduled or moved to another city following a scheduling clash with a papal visit to Sydney. [1] Pope Leo XIV is planned to visit Sydney during the October long weekend in 2028 and conduct a papal mass, creating a conflict with the grand final scheduled for the same time. [1]
Both major events are set to draw enormous crowds to Sydney, raising serious concerns about the city's capacity to manage transportation, security, and resources simultaneously. [1] The papal mass is expected to take place at Royal Randwick Racecourse, while the NRL Grand Final is scheduled for Accor Stadium. [1] In response, the NRL is in discussions with the New South Wales government to explore alternative solutions. [1] Options under consideration include moving the grand final forward by one week to September, or relocating it to venues outside Sydney, such as Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane or the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. [1]
The coordination challenge reflects the scale of papal visits to Australia. When Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2008, the mass at Randwick attracted approximately 400,000 participants. [1] Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Australia. [1] Australia has hosted papal masses at Randwick on previous occasions, including in 1986 when Pope John Paul II celebrated there. [1]