NFL plans to stay in London long after current Spurs deal, says UK head
The NFL’s UK chief insists there will be no reduction in the number of games staged in London after the sport’s deal with Tottenham Hotspur expires at the end of the decade.
The American Football league has held overseas games in London since 2007 and recently extended a deal to play two of those per season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until 2029-30, which boasts a specialist NFL field under its football pitch.
There have been fears, however, given the NFL’s international expansion into Germany, that the number of London games could be diluted to ensure others in Europe get a share.
“There’s competition for games,” NFL UK general manager Henry Hodgson told City PM “There’s competition in other markets to host NFL games, inevitably. They want a slice of what we have in the UK.
“We now have that deal through 2029-2030 here. I would think and hope there’s an initiative going on that would just provide more inventory for the whole world to be able to host NFL games.
“That certainly seems like the right progress for the NFL to be making as it tries to become a more globally appreciated sport. But in order to do that we need to have more inventory so that international games can be played in more markets.
“I don’t see it as a threat to the UK to lose games, I think more it will be about how we can expand the number of games that can be played all around the world.”
NFL plan working
This year’s London series concludes on Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans face off at the home of Spurs.
It completes a trilogy of matches that saw the Jacksonville Jaguars play twice, against Falcons at Wembley and the Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The two London stadiums and Twickenham have been regular hosts for NFL games in England, and it’s a tried and tested route the league is committed to.
“Whether it is in the UK or anywhere else in Europe we are looking at stadiums which could host games and that’s part of a natural process the NFL has had going back to 2007 when we first played games here,” added Hodgson, who was speaking at the launch of community initiative The Huddle Project.
“Because we want to deliver that game day experience there are limitations for field size, practicality and locker room size. Those are all limitations for stadiums here but we also want to make sure there’s the right fan experience.
“We are happy with Tottenham Hotspur and our partners the Jacksonville Jaguars have a deal with Wembley Stadium which delivers a good experience. That is where our focus is.”