London wins right to host first game outside N. America

[Zero2Cool]

LONDON -- London will hold the NFL's first regular-season game outside North America, beating out several German cities for the 2007 contest.


Wembley Stadium
London 2012 via Getty Images
An artist's rendering of Wembley Stadium in London, a possible site for the NFL's first regular-season game outside North America.

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The opponents have yet to be announced, and the most likely venue is the new Wembley Stadium, which is to open this spring after years of delays.

"There is no better place to begin this initiative than London," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "It is one of the great cities of the world with an established and growing fan base for our game."

The Miami Dolphins are believed to be a front-runner as the host team. Goodell is expected to announce game details before the Feb. 4 Super Bowl in Miami.

NFL owners voted in October to play up to two games outside the United States every season for the next five years. Britain, Germany, Canada and Mexico have been identified as the top markets for NFL games outside the United States. China and Japan were ruled out of the running.

"There are many NFL fans in London -- both American and non-American -- and this will be a spectacular sporting occasion," Mayor Ken Livingstone said. "After [the] success in winning the 2012 Olympics and Parlalympic Games, we want to bring Londoners the greatest of non-Olympic sports."

The NFL staged its first regular-season game outside the United States in 2005 when 103,467 fans watched the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.

London hosted several NFL "American Bowl" preseason games in the 1990s. The city also had a franchise, the London Monarchs, in the World Football League -- now called NFL Europe -- but the team folded.

I do not like this idea. I do not want the Packers playing overseas. I like watching the games at 12, 3 or in the evening, not at 2am and on the flip side, if it were to remain on the same time schedule for the US fans, that means it'd have to be at 2am or something in the UK or wherever.


I don't like it. The sport is huge, we don't need to take away home games from our fans. If they like the NFL so much, give them a discount on plane tickets, hotel reservations so they can come here to watch.

 

[Obi1]

Zero,

Actually, this is a GOOD idea. It gives our troops overseas a chance to see an NFL game live and introduces this country's most beloved sport to the world.

Any idea on WHEN this will ACTUALLY hapen?

 

[Krazygangsta]

**** they should at least bring a game to montreal ... i cant really afford to go to the states right now ... if they would of came i would actually be able to finally watch a live nfl game ... even if its in toronto it wouldnt be that bad :*(

 

[Zero2Cool]

Zero,

Actually, this is a GOOD idea. It gives our troops overseas a chance to see an NFL game live and introduces this country's most beloved sport to the world.

Any idea on WHEN this will ACTUALLY hapen?

The troops are allowed to attend games? That's news to me.

I didn't say it wasn't a good idea, I said I don't like the idea. It's my first reaction without much thought.



What happens if it becomes a major sucess? They start 4 teams? That's a **** load of games the fans of the US won't get to see.

I suppose it wouldn't be too many games. But having to watch the Packers Vs Madrid Real (soccer team i KNOW, jus a team name) at 4 am would not be fun and being the moron fan I am, I'd be waking up at 4am to watch it live.

I'm a selfish fan, I suppose.

 

[Tiger]

Its hard to know if the game will sell out like the one in mexico did, and they couldnt really play the game earlier in the day as it would clash with soccer broadcasts. The game will be shown at 6pm local time so it basically afternoon kickoffs for peeps watching back in the states.
I also think the GAA in Ireland are trying to organize it for Notre Dame football to return to Dublin to play once again like the did in the late 90's. The Bears and Steelers also played a preseason game here once before, it sucked *** though.

 

[Obi1]

Zero,

Actually, this is a GOOD idea. It gives our troops overseas a chance to see an NFL game live and introduces this country's most beloved sport to the world.

Any idea on WHEN this will ACTUALLY hapen?

The troops are allowed to attend games? That's news to me.

I didn't say it wasn't a good idea, I said I don't like the idea. It's my first reaction without much thought.



What happens if it becomes a major sucess? They start 4 teams? That's a **** load of games the fans of the US won't get to see.

I suppose it wouldn't be too many games. But having to watch the Packers Vs Madrid Real (soccer team i KNOW, jus a team name) at 4 am would not be fun and being the moron fan I am, I'd be waking up at 4am to watch it live.

I'm a selfish fan, I suppose.

Actually, Packers Vs Real Madrid might be a good Bsaeball game...

 

[TheStone]

I don't like it. The sport is huge, we don't need to take away home games from our fans. If they like the NFL so much, give them a discount on plane tickets, hotel reservations so they can come here to watch.

I totally understand you. But I would be here practically drooling, if it was a Packers Game. One hop over the English Channel from Germany and attending a REAL NFL Game with the Packers would be huge.

BTW, I don't get why the NFL chose London. In Germany there are five
teams which draw up to 30k fans per game to attend Football Games with NFL-Europe-quality. That smells sellout, which would mean about 80k(?) seats (Berlin).

 

[Zero2Cool]

I don't like it. The sport is huge, we don't need to take away home games from our fans. If they like the NFL so much, give them a discount on plane tickets, hotel reservations so they can come here to watch.

I totally understand you. But I would be here practically drooling, if it was a Packers Game. One hop over the English Channel from Germany and attending a REAL NFL Game with the Packers would be huge.

BTW, I don't get why the NFL chose London. In Germany there are five
teams which draw up to 30k fans per game to attend Football Games with NFL-Europe-quality. That smells sellout, which would mean about 80k(?) seats (Berlin).

I think the Packers are the most popular NFL team throughout the World. The Packers would be one of the two teams playing in London I would assume.

 

[packerfan1245]

I don't like it. The sport is huge, we don't need to take away home games from our fans. If they like the NFL so much, give them a discount on plane tickets, hotel reservations so they can come here to watch.

I totally understand you. But I would be here practically drooling, if it was a Packers Game. One hop over the English Channel from Germany and attending a REAL NFL Game with the Packers would be huge.

BTW, I don't get why the NFL chose London. In Germany there are five
teams which draw up to 30k fans per game to attend Football Games with NFL-Europe-quality. That smells sellout, which would mean about 80k(?) seats (Berlin).

I think the Packers are the most popular NFL team throughout the World. The Packers would be one of the two teams playing in London I would assume.

Good it will be on TV :thumbsup:

 

[skibum55]

LONDON -- London will hold the NFL's first regular-season game outside North America, beating out several German cities for the 2007 contest.


Wembley Stadium
London 2012 via Getty Images
An artist's rendering of Wembley Stadium in London, a possible site for the NFL's first regular-season game outside North America.

You must be logged in to see this image or video!

Actually, playing in the UK is not that bad. It would still be a 1 o'clock game here (EST) or 12 (CST) - that would make it a 5 PM start in the UK or 6 PM (CET) in Germany.

I think the first two teams are supposed to be Miami and the Giants.

The opponents have yet to be announced, and the most likely venue is the new Wembley Stadium, which is to open this spring after years of delays.

"There is no better place to begin this initiative than London," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "It is one of the great cities of the world with an established and growing fan base for our game."

The Miami Dolphins are believed to be a front-runner as the host team. Goodell is expected to announce game details before the Feb. 4 Super Bowl in Miami.

NFL owners voted in October to play up to two games outside the United States every season for the next five years. Britain, Germany, Canada and Mexico have been identified as the top markets for NFL games outside the United States. China and Japan were ruled out of the running.

"There are many NFL fans in London -- both American and non-American -- and this will be a spectacular sporting occasion," Mayor Ken Livingstone said. "After [the] success in winning the 2012 Olympics and Parlalympic Games, we want to bring Londoners the greatest of non-Olympic sports."

The NFL staged its first regular-season game outside the United States in 2005 when 103,467 fans watched the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.

London hosted several NFL "American Bowl" preseason games in the 1990s. The city also had a franchise, the London Monarchs, in the World Football League -- now called NFL Europe -- but the team folded.

I do not like this idea. I do not want the Packers playing overseas. I like watching the games at 12, 3 or in the evening, not at 2am and on the flip side, if it were to remain on the same time schedule for the US fans, that means it'd have to be at 2am or something in the UK or wherever.


I don't like it. The sport is huge, we don't need to take away home games from our fans. If they like the NFL so much, give them a discount on plane tickets, hotel reservations so they can come here to watch.

 

[longtimefan]

I don't like it. The sport is huge, we don't need to take away home games from our fans. If they like the NFL so much, give them a discount on plane tickets, hotel reservations so they can come here to watch.

I totally understand you. But I would be here practically drooling, if it was a Packers Game. One hop over the English Channel from Germany and attending a REAL NFL Game with the Packers would be huge.

BTW, I don't get why the NFL chose London. In Germany there are five
teams which draw up to 30k fans per game to attend Football Games with NFL-Europe-quality. That smells sellout, which would mean about 80k(?) seats (Berlin).

I think the Packers are the most popular NFL team throughout the World. The Packers would be one of the two teams playing in London I would assume.

http://nfl.aolsportsblog.com/2007/01/14/dolphins-to-play-some-new-york-team-in-london-in-07/

Despite the current lack of popularity, the NFL will play its first ever regular-season game on European soil in 2007. According to the New York Daily News, the Miami Dolphins will face either the Buffalo Bills or the New York Giants.

 

[subin]

The Dolphins are playing the Giants, it was announced a couple of days ago.
Makes sense that the Dolphins lose a home game, only 500 people show up to their games in Miami anyway..

 

[P@ck66]

"Stiiinkin' Limeys".....

 

[Beerleader]

hi!
well, i understand that the american fans won't like the idea of putting a regular season game out to europe, but as we 've read any team will only loose 1 homegame at 16 years.so i think that could be accepted by all fans in the states.
i like the idea , cause it gives european football fans the possibilty to watch an nfl game for cheap, and i thinkj in europe there are enough nfl fans, so i think the stadium at london(93k) will be sold out within a few days.
and the broadcast time should be the same as usual..when its 1pm in the states it is 7pm over here.(6h time shift).so i think thats not really a problem.

and at least i think youre right, packers are the most popular team in the world.

nice greetings from vienna

 

[yooperfan]

I was surprised to learn that my cousin and his wife over in England are huge Packer fans.
On their 1st trip to the states a few years ago, we picked them up in Chicago and their 1st request was to go to Lambeau Field so they could buy some Packer gear for them and some of their friends back in England.