Hull FC will not play in Las Vegas in 2027 after deciding against taking part in the next event at Allegiant Stadium, saying the move was in the best interests of the club. The decision ends Hull’s brief place in the running for a trip that had put them among the early contenders for the Rugby League showcase in Sin City.

The club had previously declared interest in the 2027 event, and Rhodri Jones had labelled Hull FC a frontrunner alongside St Helens, but the plans shifted after a wider internal review. Tony Sutton said the club weighed the commercial terms of the trip, the likely return from ticket sales commission and other revenues, and the effect on sponsors and members who had paid to watch home games at the ground.

Sutton also said Hull looked closely at the impact on performance as the club prepares for a new era under incoming head coach Steve McNamara. He said the overriding factor was what served the club’s long-term interests, stretching across this season, next year, five years and 10 years, and that those aims had to line up before the club could commit to an overseas trip early in the campaign.

That calculation came with other business pressures in the background. Hull have a contract to play 13 home games at the MKM Stadium, and Sutton said the club needed to understand the SMC’s position on the terms of that agreement while it continued negotiations over a new user arrangement for the ground. The club also wanted to protect the growth of the squad and keep its focus on matters at home rather than build its season around a one-off event thousands of miles away.

The decision does not shut the door completely. Hull remain open to the possibility of playing in Las Vegas in 2028, while the NRL’s deal with Allegiant Stadium still has two seasons left to run. Last year, Sutton attended the Wigan-Warrington fixture with the England women’s team and saw the volume of merchandise around Fremont Street on the Thursday, and this year Hull KR’s appearance in Las Vegas showed what a club can take from the occasion commercially. For Hull FC, though, the balance of risk and reward has been drawn for 2027, and the club has chosen not to go.