Visa Delay Halts Warrington’s Burgess from Catching U.S. Flight

Image source, Rex Features

Image caption: Sam Burgess began coaching the Warrington Wolves at the start of last season.

Published: February 22, 2025

Updated: Six hours ago

The head coach of Warrington Wolves, Sam Burgess, did not board a flight to Las Vegas on Sunday prior to his team’s upcoming Super League match against the Wigan Warriors. The reason for this is that he remains in London while waiting for his visa clearance to enter the United States.

Burgess faced difficulties with obtaining a visa and reportedly made several trips to the US embassy in London, external, in an effort to secure approval of his application before Saturday’s match on March 1st at Allegiant Stadium. Despite these efforts, The Wire is still optimistic about Burgess making it to Las Vegas if he receives his visa soon.

After leading Warrington Wolves to a win against Catalans Dragons on Friday, Burgess indicated that the decision regarding his visa would likely come too late for him to travel with his squad and coaching staff on Sunday. “It’s been a bit of a process over the past couple of days,” he stated during an interview with BBC Radio Merseyside. “My visa application is now being reviewed by immigration authorities, but it has taken some time.

“I understand that everyone in this system is doing their best to facilitate my travel arrangements and appreciate the efforts put into processing my case. However, there’s little I can control at this point, so we’ll just have to see how things develop over the next 24 hours,” Burgess added. “While there are some uncertainties, I remain confident that everything will fall into place.

When asked about any specific reasons for delays in his visa application process, Burgess maintained a certain level of privacy on this matter. He did express satisfaction with the support he has received from the US embassy staff but also acknowledged that such bureaucratic procedures can sometimes take time. “It’s now up to the final review by the U.S. Board of Control and I hope it won’t be too late for me,” Burgess explained.

“Lets just see what happens in the next 24-48 hours, but everyone is eager for an outcome on this matter,” he concluded. “All fingers are crossed that we can resolve this issue soon.”