Two flashy new venues in Merimbula recently opened for sports fans, and to kick them off there's no flashier spectacle in the world of sport than the Super Bowl.
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Both Merimbula RSL and Club Sapphire's new sports lounge areas will be hosting events on Monday, February 12, for Super Bowl LVIII.
Merimbula RSL completed a 12-month renovation in late 2023 to open the popular Ross Jones Sports Lounge.
The former TAB sports bar, which was one of the areas of the club that hadn't been touched in the previous renovations, was struggling to attract a demographic outside of older males, leading management to look into an overhaul.
Club general manager Michael Mutsch told ClubLIFE that as well as attempting to attract a female demographic, they focused on attracting a younger crowd by introducing a presence of American sports.
![Merimbula RSL doorman and bus driver Rob Robertson and bar supervisor Kristy Pyle. Picture by James Parker
Merimbula RSL doorman and bus driver Rob Robertson and bar supervisor Kristy Pyle. Picture by James Parker](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/38KKizhZLpuTDCkJAjRb34b/c1e17901-9095-42dd-809d-f2eab2ebf020.jpeg/r0_439_4032_2706_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"What we found is that the younger demographic was going for the American style of sports. So, we put in the big screen, and through TAB we signed up for the Sky Channels which includes the NFL, the basketball and the baseball," Mr Mutsch said.
"We normally have one of those games on a week to attract that younger crowd, but we have also found the feel of the area is quite conducive to those different demographics."
The RSL's sports lounge is named after a late board member, Ross Jones, who was on the board for 23 years and was a driving force behind the club moving to its current location.
Mr Mutsch also said Mr Jones and his mates could always be found in the TAB area "telling yarns and jokes".
On Monday, February 12, the Ross Jones Sports Bar will be screening the Super Bowl live on the big screen. The coffee shop will be open as well as the bar.
![Merimbula RSL's Ross Jones Sports Lounge. Picture by James Parker Merimbula RSL's Ross Jones Sports Lounge. Picture by James Parker](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/38KKizhZLpuTDCkJAjRb34b/84c4c7f3-ae68-4e43-825b-5b4444f9ac99.jpeg/r0_654_3638_2813_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Meanwhile, Club Sapphire was celebrating the recent opening of its new "boutique" sports lounge area.
Club Sapphire CEO Damien Foley along with his board decided to introduce an offering at the club to complement the wildly popular Kitty's Bar.
"The brief to the designers was to create a sports cinema feel that's a little bit blokey without being too blokey," Mr Foley said.
"It's got big chunky timber tables, nice stools and a big screen that's very dominant on the wall.
"It's become a really popular space, made special with plush finishings, nice carpet and you know these great tables."
![Club Sapphire's Robert Beuzeville, Mia Maze and Damien Foley in the newly opened sports lounge. Picture by James Parker Club Sapphire's Robert Beuzeville, Mia Maze and Damien Foley in the newly opened sports lounge. Picture by James Parker](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/38KKizhZLpuTDCkJAjRb34b/7995cc28-14be-41bc-949e-440ca4296a6d.jpeg/r0_206_4032_2473_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The sports lounge also interacted with the club's bowling green through a free-flowing layout.
"We created a large window that people can sit up against, there's some bench tables against it and they can sit there and look out the window at the bowls, which is happening 20 metres away," Mr Foley said.
"It's a bit of a unique environment where the sports lounge interacts with the bowling greens, there's a door that you can walk straight out onto our deck and that takes you down onto the bowling green."
For Super Bowl Monday, the Club Sapphire sports lounge will show the match live and free on the big screen, with pizza and wings specials available.
Super Bowl LVII is on Sunday night in the US, which means Monday morning our time. The broadcast starts from 10.30am.
Last year's winners the Kansas City Chiefs will be up against the San Francisco 49ers at Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium.