I’d never seen a live NFL game before, so it was a great experience to go and watch the Arizona Cardinals play Houston at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

It was an impressive stadium – it would have been great to have actually gone through the facility and see what the NFL players get up to week-in week-out.

The thing that really stood out for me from the game was just the spectacle, and the way the Americans do it from an entertainment point of view and keeping the crowd entertained.

You can tell they love their sport over here – and love their footy.

The experience was probably what I expected and more. The crowd were obviously one-eyed because we were in Arizona, and their involvement and support was fantastic.  

The games are much more of an ‘event’ and it’s an eye-opener to see how much effort they go to. In the AFL, we put on a great game for spectators, but the extra entertainment side of things is very different.

The game went for around three hours, and the crowd is kept entertained every minute – it really makes the time fly.

Most of all, the contest was a close one. It ended up going down to the wire and almost went into overtime.

Lucky for us, and Leppa – who happens to be a huge Arizona fan – the Cardinals won 27-24.