Raiders linemen Jonah Laulu and Atonio Mafi continue NFL’s international outreach with stop in Sydney

Las Vegas Raiders players Jonah Laulu and Atonio Mafi are spending part of the offseason in Australia and New Zealand, continuing an NFL-style push to connect pro athletes with grassroots sport far beyond the United States. The Raiders’ trip was built around city-to-city visits and time spent engaging with local rugby programs and youth athletes, the team said in its announcement published Wednesday.

Laulu, a defensive tackle for the Raiders, and Mafi, a guard, arrived in Australia for a week of outreach that included both cultural time and football-focused activities. The centerpiece of the Raiders’ stop in Sydney was a flag football camp hosted at Heffron Centre, where the players spent time with youth participants and helped highlight how the game can translate across countries and athletic communities.

The Raiders’ announcement framed the trip as part of an ongoing international outreach effort. While the NFL is largely known for its domestic schedule, the league and its teams have increasingly looked to international engagement as a long-term brand and development strategy, and the Raiders’ visit reflects that broader approach by bringing current roster players into local sports ecosystems rather than relying on demonstrations from afar.

For the players themselves, the value of such visits goes beyond public relations. Atonio Mafi and Jonah Laulu represent two different roles on the Raiders’ interior line, and their participation in youth instruction and local programming underscores how linemen can serve as ambassadors for a team identity that emphasizes technique, fundamentals, and physical preparation. Flag football, in particular, offers a simplified entry point that can teach spacing, timing, and decision-making without the full contact requirements of traditional tackle football.

The team did not outline specific competitive or season-related implications from the trip, and no offseason transactions, roster moves, or on-field developments were reported in connection with the travel. That matters because it helps clarify that this is primarily a community and culture initiative, not an attempt to report immediate changes to training priorities, depth charts, or personnel plans.

As the Raiders’ visit continues across additional major cities in Australia and New Zealand, the next thing to watch is whether the engagement expands into broader program partnerships with local rugby organizations and youth football groups, building repeat touchpoints that can outlast a single trip. For players and fans, the immediate takeaway is straightforward: the Raiders are using two recognizable interior linemen to put a human face on the NFL’s international footprint, starting with an on-the-ground camp in Sydney.