American Football is growing in popularity in London.
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Following the recent success of the three NFL games at Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur stadiums, American Football is clearly well-loved in the capital.
So much so, that for the last 15 years, supporters have asked whether London should have their own team. Is now the right time for the NFL to expand across the Atlantic?
One person who thinks so is MP Max Wilkinson. Wilkinson is the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Wilkinson said that
“expanding on the success of the London series of games at Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur stadium could bring many hundreds of millions of pounds to our economy every year.”
Wilkinson was a waterboy for the London Monarchs, the former London-based American Football team.
The NFL London Series game between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars saw a record-breaking attendance of 86,651.
This year’s London Series saw two matches at Tottenham Hotspur and one at Wembley.
The Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers saw record viewership in the UK. There is no denying that NFL is on the rise in the UK.
Wade McElwain, who founded the NFL in London, spoke about how there was quick to point out the fact that a lot of viewers would have been tuning in for the Taylor Swift story as her boyfriend Travis Kelce plays for Kansas.
Wade spoke about how it’s a tall order for athletes to travel across the Atlantic Ocean multiple times during the playing season as it throws off their routine.
Wade also drew attention to what would happen if the London team were to qualify for the playoffs. What would happen if London had to host a game with short notice and Tottenham and Wembley were both unavailable?
Another point to consider is fan loyalty, plenty of London-based NFL fans have already picked a team to support. Would the introduction of a new London team tempt them to change the team that they back?
A large range of NFL teams were represented by fans at Wembley.
John Farrow who runs The Snap UK podcast, said that it would be very tough to win over the ‘legacy’ fans as they have already put a lot of emotional investment into their team.
John then pointed out that in order to interest new fans, the team would have to be competitive, it’s hard to sell a new fan on a team that gets thrashed week in week out.
So can we expect a new London team in the near future? John and Wade had very different opinions on the question.
John said that it was inevitable for there to be a foreign team in the NFL and London seemed like the obvious choice.
Wade, on the other hand, couldn’t see it ever logistically working. He argued that there were places ahead of London that should have a new team, such as Toronto.
In conclusion, despite the significant growth in interest in American Football in the UK, there would be significant logistical hurdles to overcome to start a London team. That being said, it seems the idea isn’t going away any time soon.
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HeadlineMP calls for London NFL team as the sport grows in the capital
Short HeadlineMP calls for London NFL team
StandfirstNFL game between Jacksonville and New England breaks attendance record at Wembley.
Following the recent success of the three NFL games at Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur stadiums, American Football is clearly well-loved in the capital.
So much so, that for the last 15 years, supporters have asked whether London should have their own team. Is now the right time for the NFL to expand across the Atlantic?
One person who thinks so is MP Max Wilkinson. Wilkinson is the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Wilkinson said that
“expanding on the success of the London series of games at Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur stadium could bring many hundreds of millions of pounds to our economy every year.”
Wilkinson was a waterboy for the London Monarchs, the former London-based American Football team.
The NFL London Series game between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars saw a record-breaking attendance of 86,651.
This year’s London Series saw two matches at Tottenham Hotspur and one at Wembley.
The Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers saw record viewership in the UK. There is no denying that NFL is on the rise in the UK.
Wade McElwain, who founded the NFL in London, spoke about how there was quick to point out the fact that a lot of viewers would have been tuning in for the Taylor Swift story as her boyfriend Travis Kelce plays for Kansas.
Wade spoke about how it’s a tall order for athletes to travel across the Atlantic Ocean multiple times during the playing season as it throws off their routine.
Wade also drew attention to what would happen if the London team were to qualify for the playoffs. What would happen if London had to host a game with short notice and Tottenham and Wembley were both unavailable?
Another point to consider is fan loyalty, plenty of London-based NFL fans have already picked a team to support. Would the introduction of a new London team tempt them to change the team that they back?
A large range of NFL teams were represented by fans at Wembley.
John Farrow who runs The Snap UK podcast, said that it would be very tough to win over the ‘legacy’ fans as they have already put a lot of emotional investment into their team.
John then pointed out that in order to interest new fans, the team would have to be competitive, it’s hard to sell a new fan on a team that gets thrashed week in week out.
So can we expect a new London team in the near future? John and Wade had very different opinions on the question.
John said that it was inevitable for there to be a foreign team in the NFL and London seemed like the obvious choice.
Wade, on the other hand, couldn’t see it ever logistically working. He argued that there were places ahead of London that should have a new team, such as Toronto.
In conclusion, despite the significant growth in interest in American Football in the UK, there would be significant logistical hurdles to overcome to start a London team. That being said, it seems the idea isn’t going away any time soon.
