In 2007, the National Football League hosted their inaugural International series match at Wembley Stadium, when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10.
Early Success
The first 40,000 tickets for the event sold out in the first 90 minutes.
The success of the International series pushed the NFL to seriously consider the possibility of a full franchise located in London, and the league is now focusing on establishing their goal by 2021.
Team Relocation
This is something that would most likely be achieved by relocating an existing franchise (a practice not unfamiliar with American Football), with Florida-based team Jacksonville Jaguars, most often linked due to their ties to the International series and with two other teams already based in Florida.
However, this is a decision that has proven to be unpopular in the past, with teams like the Oakland Raiders facing significant backlash from fans for their proposed move to Las Vegas.
The Numbers
So, could a franchise in England’s capital work? Let’s look at the stats.
According to an article in the New York Daily News, in 2016 viewership on the BBC and Sky Sports was up a staggering 80 percent – so any concerns over an audience can rest relatively easy.
Also, whilst some may consider it to be somewhat of a novelty act, the International series has had incredible attendance records with over 1.7 million fans in total attending the matches from 2007 through to 2017’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cleveland Browns.
With Tottenham Hotspur’s new ground having a synthetic surface specifically made for American Football underneath a movable grass field, and Twickenham recently declaring they will hold international series games at their ground, it certainly opens up the possibility of a permanent home for a figurative franchise.
Moving Problems
However, aside from the logistical problems that come with building a franchise on our side of the Atlantic there are also potential legal issues that come along with it.
As of 2013, any players working in the US who were due to play in the International series were admitted to the country via temporary working visas.
This, of course, would not be possible for players working a full home schedule which would require visas to be issued by a UK government-recognised governing body of the sport.
The issue with this is that although the British version of the game is administered by the British American Football Association (BAFA), it is not currently recognised by the UK government.
It has been suggested that the NFL would either create their own governing body in the UK or attempt to gain approval from the UK government to work with BAFA.
Other Motives?
There is also some perception that the US only wants to create a British franchise to increase the league’s profile and revenue and not to aim for that franchise to be competitive.
However, this seems unlikely as a failing football team is just not good business and there would be no reason for the league to think otherwise, as essentially, the NFL is a business with a profit motive.
Overall, whilst there may be some issues logistically and legally, none of them seem like much of a stumbling block and are all relatively easy to overcome or work around.
Mayoral Approval
Even the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has had his say, being very vocal on his willingness to have a London franchise, going as far to say it is his “dream, vision and aspiration” to have one.
Government backing of any kind, in the eyes of the NFL and fans alike, can be nothing but a good thing. There is a clear desire on both sides and it certainly looks like something that could happen in the not too distant future.
To summarise, the chances of an NFL franchise coming to Britain, whilst not without fine tuning, seem increasingly likely. The announcement of an increased International Series schedule and the willingness of higher ups in the NFL alongside the British government itself can only be good news to believers. So, football fans, watch this space.
