It’s a site that’s drawn huge crowds for countless legendary Australian sporting moments – from AFL grand finals to Matildas fever and the Australian Open. But on Sunday afternoon, Federation Square bore witness to something rather un-Australian.
Thousands packed into the square waving shimmery golden pom-poms to welcome the San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush Cheerleaders, the official cheer squad for the National Football League (NFL) team.
Ahead of Australia’s first local NFL game, in which the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Los Angeles Rams at the MCG on Friday, the Gold Rush cheerleaders have already made history, setting a world record for the largest cheerleading dance, one which had 1424 people taking part.
The dancers led an ecstatic crowd in a simple choreographed routine, set to a soundtrack of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance and Lady Gaga’s Just Dance.
The previous world record was held by Wing Dance Promotion, a cheerleading school in Japan, which staged its event with 1371 people in August 2015.
Cheerleading, a distinctly American sport, has grown rapidly in Australia over the past few decades: more than 60,000 competitors are now registered with the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has one Australian dancer, Faith Ward, who is the third-ever Aussie to have made the team.
Zara, 12, and Quinn, 11, from Southern Cross Cheer, said on Sunday that it was inspirational to see such talented cheerleaders on our shores.
“It’s so fun to be here today. The energy is just amazing, and the NFL cheerleaders are so good,” Zara said. “They’re all so in sync; it’s amazing to watch them.”
Some passionate Melbourne dancers arrived as early as 7am, hoping to get a front-row spot to see their cheer heroes from the 49ers perform onstage.
Penny Tropman, 5, and her father, Aaron, made the journey to Federation Square from Armadale to be part of the world record. Hoisted on her dad’s shoulders, Penny was enraptured and slightly overwhelmed as thousands of pom-poms shimmered high in the air.
“I think as a young kid, it’s pretty cool to say you got to be part of a world record,” Aaron Tropman said. “This record is an opportunity to try and show off as much of this great city as we can.”
The 49ers, whose signature gold and red colours swept Federation Square, are the league’s most popular team in Australia, according to the NFL.
“I think that comes from being one of the top teams in the ’80s, when a lot of people here consumed the NFL,” the league’s Australia and New Zealand general manager, Charlotte Offord, told The New York Times.
Indeed, despite not having won a Super Bowl since 1995, the 49ers have maintained a devoted fan base. Friday’s match will be the first in a multi-year contract the NFL has signed with the Victorian government. Tickets, which went on sale in April, sold out almost immediately.
Californian Stefanie Shackelford, 61, and Texan Tricia Escamilla, 54, are both lifelong 49ers fans and travelled from the US to Melbourne for their team. They met in Federation Square and became fast friends.
“Our fans truly support our players, and I think that’s one of the best things when you’re at a game – the camaraderie between the fans and the players and the vibe. All of that, it’s just amazing,” says Shackelford.
Adds Escamilla of seeing love for her team sweep Melbourne: “It’s just so impressive to have 49ers fans all across the globe, so that was exciting.”
Melbourne reportedly beat multiple other cities to host the event, and the partnership is expected to boost the visitor economy.
Early tourism numbers, according to hotel analytics company STR, show hotel bookings for September 10 and 11 have quadrupled compared to the same dates last year, while American flight searches for Melbourne in early September have been up 149 per cent. Fans from more than 35 countries have bought tickets.
Kyra, a member of the 49ers Gold Rush cheer squad (the NFL does not disclose cheerleaders’ surnames or ages), is visiting Australia for the first time.
“It’s been super-exciting and amazing to be here. I’m just really grateful,” she says.
“It’s really special to see faithful fans come out here and really represent Australia just as much as we represent them in America.”
Like most NFL cheerleaders, Kyra dances part-time, practising for five hours every weekend with her squad. She makes a living as an executive assistant in the venture capital world.
“We do this because we love it, so we get together on weekends and share that amongst everyone that loves the sport of it,” she says.
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