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 The Oakland Raiders face the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium on
Sept. 28 and the home of English soccer will stage a further two NFL
clashes over the autumn.
The NFL has been playing regular season games in London since 2007
but the interest among European fans means that another fixture has
been added this year.
"We're playing at Wembley with an 84,000 capacity. For three games,
we're selling a quarter of a million tickets which is basically the
sort of inventory most teams are selling for half a season," said
Mark Waller, the NFL's executive vice-president, international.
That level of demand naturally prompts renewed speculation that
London could become a permanent home to an NFL team.
Waller, a Briton in charge of overseeing the game's international
growth, believes such a move would be positive but is careful not to
set any target date for when it could happen.
"If I could be in London watching a hugely important game of a team
that is based out of London competing in the National Football
League, I think that is an exciting concept," he said in a telephone
interview. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE EXAMPLE
Waller notes that the growth of the elite Champions League club
competition in European soccer over the past two decades underlines
the demand from fans, sponsors and broadcasters for top quality
action from international locations.
"It feels like what we have to offer fits in a space that is going
to keep on growing," he said.
"The team that does it has to be competitive," he added, aware that
the novelty would wear off if a London team failed to match rivals
on the field.
Waller would not be drawn on how a London franchise could fit into
the NFL's 32-team format. The focus, for now, he said was on showing
that regular trips to Britain could fit into the NFL schedule and
not put too much strain on players.
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In this year's London program, the Detroit Lions will play the
Atlanta Falcons at Wembley on the last Sunday in October, before the
Jacksonville Jaguars meet Dallas Cowboys in November.
The Jaguars are owned by Shahid Khan, who bought west London soccer
club Fulham last year and is one of a growing band of U.S.
businessmen who have invested in sports teams on both sides of the
Atlantic.
The latest London trip comes when the NFL is having to contend at
home with negative headlines and pressure from sponsors over its
handling of domestic violence cases involving some of its athletes.
Waller acknowledged that the NFL had to be careful to protect its
image but added that its leadership had proved its worth on many
occasions.
"Any bad publicity in any area is a danger and a risk if you don't
respond to it and rectify it," he said.
"I believe we work incredibly hard to do what is right for the game,
and for the game in the long term."
(Writing by Keith Weir, Editing by Ken Ferris)
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