NFL: London could get its own franchise

London is one step closer to getting its own NFL franchise, with the sport's UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood saying on Thursday that the sport's global expansion plans are slowly ticking all the right boxes.


The Jacksonvile Jaguires latest team to make London a permanent home away from home after signing a four-year deal which will see them play one game a season in the English capital starting from next year.


Kirkwood and his NFL UK staff have helped turn the sport's International Series, which began in 2007, into a roaring success that sells out Wembley Stadium each year.


A league meeting in Houston last year voted to continue playing games in Britain until at least 2016.


"I think the first chapter has been considered a success with the owners voting on a renewal going forward. Jacksonville returning is also a sign of maturity of the concept," Kirkwood told Reuters in an interview.


"What this now does is allow us to test if we can bring in more new fans and boost a single team recognition.


"Once that period has come up we will then have learnt an awful lot about it and know what the viability for us going forward is and then be in a great position to make a call (on a London franchise)," added Kirkwood.


The popular International Series has boosted the NFL's profile across Europe.


The inaugural game between the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins injected an estimated 23 million pounds ($36.35 million) into the English capital's economy, according to the London and Partners promotional organization.


POTENTIAL GROWTH


Numbers released by NFL UK also augur well for potential growth.


According to NFL UK there are two million British fans and TV ratings for American football games shown on Sundays have increased by 154 percent.


The Super Bowl has attracted a large audience rise with a 74 percent uplift recorded since 2006.


The St Louis Rams continue the Wembley series against last year's Super Bowl runners-up the New Englad Patriots when the sixth installment is played on October 28.


"Part of our theory here is that London could some day be a host for an NFL franchise," commissioner Roger Goodell told the Jacksonville team's website.


"Every time we've taken another step in exposing our game to a global audience they've wanted more. We went from pre-season games, because they wanted to see competitive games with the best players, to regular-season games and now they want more.


"We are likely to take the next step from one game a year to two games a year and maybe even beyond that." - Reuters

No mention of logistics. Every team that goes there would get a bye week afterward? (like now) Even so, the London team would only get home games between week 3 & 11?

But what about the London team's away games? Would they get extra bye weeks?

I can't see a way to work this out fairly. The smallest amount of time difference would be 5 hours, and the most 8. No way you can subject players to that kind of toll without extra time off.

Send the Packers to London.

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Originally Posted by BearStuff

No mention of logistics. Every team that goes there would get a bye week afterward? (like now) Even so, the London team would only get home games between week 3 & 11?

But what about the London team's away games? Would they get extra bye weeks?

I can't see a way to work this out fairly. The smallest amount of time difference would be 5 hours, and the most 8. No way you can subject players to that kind of toll without extra time off.

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It's an extremely stupid idea and I don't think anyone but the heads of the NFL want this to happen, but they could make it work. Anyone traveling to London for a game would almost have to be given a bye week following it. This pretty well screws the teams in their division though unless they give them a second bye week, and then they'd have to give everyone else a second bye as well. The team stationed in London would almost have to have a workout facility located in the US somewhere (probably the one they used before they moved?) and likely have to play multiple road games in a row followed by multiple home games otherwise that's going to be a hell of a lot of overseas traveling on a weekly basis.

IMO, it's a US sport, keep it here. The next logical step is going to be moving a team there permanently and then eventually adding on a bunch of new teams which will further deplete the talent level. You'll see a few good teams and the rest are going to be horrid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll3uipTO-4A The O'Jays - Money

This ranks up there w/Goodell trying to make football an olympic sport.

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Originally Posted by 4th and 26

Send the Packers to London.

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HELL NO! WE DO NOT NEED MORE FUCKING ASS HAT CLOWNS TO CHEESEHEADS IN EUROPE! THEY ARE LIKE FLYES EVERY FUCKING WHERE!

I don't want a NFL team in Europe, I want more games in Europe, with differents team. I have failed to see why it's the same team having to there the next years. Why can't it be to random teams each year..

2-3 games a year in Europe/London would be just fine.

We could ship Packers to Siberia

London, the new L.A. If they go through with it, I see 2 franchises failing, the players union pissed and whatever team that moves going back after initial interest dies...