On Friday 11 September 2026, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will clash at the MCG for Australia's first ever NFL regular season game. Behind the scenes, a small Aussie manufacturing success story has been trusted with the critical job of installing the underground footings that will keep the NFL goals upright on game day.
Abel Sports, based in Sunshine in Melbourne's West started out making flag poles thirty years ago and has grown to become Australia's leading manufacturer of AFL goals, soccer goals and rugby goals.
"The MCG is obviously a very special venue for us. We've supplied sporting infrastructure there for many years, but preparing the ground for Australia's first NFL regular season game is something completely different," said Abel Sports General Manager John Cann. "We'd never worked with NFL goals before, but our innovative culture and reputation as Australia's leading supplier of football goals is why we are trusted when high profile, critical projects like this come to town."
MILITARY PRECISION AND PLANNING
Abel managed the fabrication of the footing assemblies for the NFL goals using its own local supply chain and engineering drawings supplied by the NFL in the United States.
“They specified Sportsfield Specialties Gooseneck Hinged Plate Mount NFL goals which are a hydraulically operated, plate mounted design that allows the posts to be easily raised for games and lowered flush with the ground afterward,” said Abel’s Chief Installation Officer, Marty O’Keefe. “But when we reviewed the drawings, our engineering team realised that they were based on assumptions about local soil conditions here in Australia that hadn’t been verified. We didn’t want to take any chances. There’s a huge cantilever on NFL goals so it’s critical they have properly engineered footings. To be sure, we arranged our own independent soil testing to verify those assumptions. We don’t leave anything to chance, you can’t afford to in our game and safety is always our number one priority.”
In addition to soil testing, a full site survey of the MCG was completed so the Abel team could precisely position the goals.
“There were no Gridiron line markings or anything like that to guide us. The footings were installed during round 22 of the AFL home and away season so the g was still marked out for AFL.”
Throughout the installation, our surveyor remained on site, using GPS to precisely pinpoint the exact location of every footing.
“Bolt positions, levels and measurements were continually checked against the engineering drawings as we worked, ensuring accuracy and millimetre perfect precision.”
Panning, logistics and attention to detail were also critical.
“The timing left no room for error. Ground works started on Monday and we had to be out by Wednesday with the MCG hosting Melbourne and Fremantle on Saturday that same week. It’s not like a regular building site where we can just do our work and leave. When we’ve finished, we can’t leave a trace of where we’ve been or the work we’ve done. Not a clod of dirt. Not a divet. Nothing. It has to be like we were never there.”
Abel coordinated the excavator, surveyor and soil-testing contractor so each stage could happen in a carefully orchestrated sequence. “We did a full a risk assessment with contingency plans for any potential issues that could arise including unexpected underground services and rocky terrain.”
That meticulous preparation was tested during excavation when the team encountered underground conduits. “The installation was originally scheduled across two days but ultimately took three as our crew carefully worked around the underground services and adjusted the excavation work without compromising the engineered footing positions.”
“At a venue like the MCG, you don’t just arrive with an excavator and start digging,” John said. “There are a lot of stakeholders, there’s a lot happening underneath the surface and very little room for error. The work our team put into planning the job beforehand was probably the most important part of the whole project.”
READY FOR GAME DAY
By Wednesday that week, the Abel team had successfully installed the two hold-down footing assemblies needed to hold the hinged NFL goal posts firmly in place. Despite some surprises during ground works and the tight installation window, the work was completed on time.
“By the time our crew left on Wednesday afternoon, you wouldn’t even know we’d been there,” said Marty.
Abel’s Australian-made AFL goal posts already stand tall at the MCG and were featured as part of Australian Made Week earlier in the year. The new footings give the MCG permanent, precisely positioned foundations for NFL games, further cementing this iconic ground in place as a truly world-class, multi-use international stadium.
“People generally notice the goal posts and the beautifully manicured playing surface. They don’t see the surveying, soil testing, engineering, fabrication and planning that happens behind the scenes,” John said. “But that’s the essential work that has to happen to make the final result possible.”
On 11 September, a sellout crowd of 100,000 fans is expected to pack out the MCG for the historic encounter between the Rams and 49ers. Deep beneath the hallowed turf of the MCG, the Aussie-made footings installed by the Abel team will be quietly, confidently holding up the goal posts at the centre of all the action, watched on by a global television audience in the millions.
“For us, that’s probably the most satisfying part. Most people watching the game will never know those footings are there. But we will.”
