It has been announced that Manchester United football club will play against an Australian A-League All Stars team in Sydney on 20th July 2013.

The game is set to be played at ANZ Stadium, exactly three days after game 3 of State of Origin is played at the same venue. Given jetlag considerations MU players should arrive in Sydney approximately a week before the game. They will undoubtedly be in Australia on the Wednesday night of SOO. As we all know MU is riddled with rugby league fans such as Wayne Rooney, Ryan Joseph Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes. (Rooney is a Leeds fan, while Giggs - a childhood friend of Adrian Morley -- and Ferdinand are Wigan fans). So this creates a great opportunity to showcase our game to the MU stars in a way they have never seen it beforein a major world city where rugby league is king of the sports.

What I am suggesting is that the MU celebrity players will come to have greater respect for our game, and could be subsequently more easily recruited into PR for our game should the RFL choose to take advantage of their interest. All that is required is for ANZ Stadium to give the MU team corporate box seats at the SOO (which they may well do on their own initiative), and then for the RFL to follow up later.

Has satellite television arrived yet in France?

Meanwhile in England I'd hazard a guess that these prolific Manchester based sportsman have already seen the State of Origin on TV.

Whilst token appearances at big games by stars from a different entertainment industry has never done any harm, it wasn't too long ago that One Direction were spotted at the annual Anzac Test and I don't think it has inspired any of the five lads to be more vocal about rugby league nor do I think it's a PR stunt that delivered the desired result.

Who gives a f*** what some over paid skinny soccer players do? I was forced to watch the mank derby last week, biggest load of bullock I've seen. No wonder the fans threw things at the players.

Get that bag of taties off your shoulder.
Some of the MU players have often talked up RL.

And the game last week was pretty exciting by football standards.

MU are a global brand and any publicity is good publicity. I often think that MU (and other teams ) use RL as a way of grounding their players into sporting and social reality. Work hard lads or you will have to play s proper sport to earn a living.

I saw Ben Barba and one of the Morris twins in a big bash cricket shirt getting interviewed at pitch side last night.

This is actually a really good idea & would hardly be the first time non-RL sports stars have been to SoO or the GF. I'm sure ManU would be keen as it'd help build interest in their game as well.

Seems likely the NRL would do something, considering how they've treated Alessandro Del Piero (famous Italian soccer guy playing in Aus).

Yes, who knows, if only the RFL would put some effort in then maybe we could get Man Utd stars to pose with the World Cup and help sell RLWC2013....


Wait, hang on a minute.....

If they were going to a big game in this country, then yes, I'm sure the could be a use for some good publicity off the back of one of the most recognisable sports brands in the world.

However, they're going to be in Aus and the game of RL over there is in far better shape than it is in this country. I doubt it'll cause that much of a fuss should they show up to a SOO game.

They will be seeing RL at its pinnacle, next year during the World Cup.

But rugby league is still competing with Australian Rules (very close contest) and rugby union in Australia. So RL can benefit from this kind of boost.

It will be a huge impact if the Man U players show up at the SOO game, because they are very big celebrities in Australia (all the general public tickets for their match against the Australian Selection sold out within one hour!). They are probably the greatest foreign sports celebrities to appear in Australia. You can expect the cameras of Australian television to pan to them in their corporate boxes before, during and after the game.

Jean has a fair point here. Damnit if this wouldn't be great publicity for rugby league in Aus.

Most Australians look on at soccer players with a mixture of mirth, disinterest and astonishment that wimpy blokes can get paid so much for a sport where they can't hit a barn door from 10yards and any tap sees them rolling around on the ground like they have been shot.

But soccer seems to have a hard core following in Australia through their A-League. David Beckham, the husband of Victoria Beckham, is even considering going to play in that League next season. Also, Australians seem to like celebrity sportsmen, whatever the sport. How else can you explain the public tickets for the Man U game selling out in one hour?

Sydney likes a hyped event, that's why the tickets sold out. The Sydney a league teams are lucky to draw a 5 figure crowd.