SportNXT brings global sport leaders to Melbourne ahead of NFL first
Published: 3 September 2026SportNXT will bring the world’s leading sporting minds to Melbourne in the week the city makes history by hosting Australia’s first NFL regular-season game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
A world class line up of speakers for the 2026 SportNXT Summit has been confirmed.
The summit will be held from 7-8 September at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The annual event will feature more than 75 speakers including senior leaders from the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, plus the AFL, Cricket Australia, Chelsea Football Club and Disney.
A highlight of Melbourne NFL week, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from;
- NFL Executive Vice President Peter O’Reilly
- Kroenke Sports & Entertainment President of Team & Media Operations Kevin Demoff
- Rams Chief Commercial Officer Jennifer Prince
- Ram Chief Marketing Officer Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick
- 49ers Chief Operations Officer Brent Schoeb
- 49ers Chief Marketing Officer’s Stephanie Rogers.
Other world class speakers include;
- Olympic medalist snowboarder Scotty James
- Chelsea Football Club President Jason Gannon
- AFL Commission Chair Craig Drummond
- Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg
- ESPN executive Kylie Watson-Wheeler.
SportNXT is Melbourne’s annual global sports summit. It brings industry leaders together to share ideas, explore challenges and opportunities, drive innovation, build networks, and showcase world-class sport infrastructure.
Originally launched in Melbourne in 2022 with support from the Victorian Government, the summit has become one of the most prestigious sports business conferences in the southern hemisphere.
It helps reinforce Victoria’s reputation as a global leader in sport and major events.
Held in September for the first time, SportNXT will be the perfect way to build up to the Rams vs Niners blockbuster.
Melbourne’s NFL match at the MCG on Friday 11 September will place the city alongside London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto as hosts of official NFL games outside the United States.
Thousands of visitors are expected to travel to Melbourne for the blockbuster game.
It will support hotels, hospitality, retail and other businesses across the state.
The state’s packed calendar of events generates around $3.3 billion a year for the state’s economy. This is thanks to events like the Australian Open, Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, and AFL Grand Final.
For more information, visit the SportNXT website.