The NFL’s growth in the U.K. continues as league execs are looking at the possibility of playing a full season of games in the country within the next five years. The league will host three regular-season games at London’s Wembley Stadium this year, starting with the Week 4 matchup between the N.Y. Jets and Miami Dolphins. The NFL’s growing popularity in the market -- last season’s three Int’l Series games were all sellouts -- led the league to believe it can play even more games in the U.K., said Mark Waller, the NFL’s EVP, International. The NFL, however, quickly realized that Wembley could not host all of the games it might want to play considering the stadium’s obligation to English football. “That’s the reality of a shared stadium,” he said. The league's deal with Wembley Stadium is set to expire next year but both sides indicated their intentions of extending the relationship beyond '16.
Even so, the chances of playing an increased number of games in London received a tremendous boost when the league agreed to a stadium partnership with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in July. The 10-year deal calls for a minimum of two NFL games per season at the club’s new stadium, which is set to open in ’18. "It will allow us to play more games," Waller said.
GOOD TIMING: He described the partnership with Tottenham as "unbelievable lucky" in terms of timing as the league was able to incorporate NFL-specific design elements such as extra-large locker rooms. "Having two stadiums gives us significantly better options," Waller said. "There will be a time in the next five years, if we wanted to, we could play a full season of games." The league would have two primary options should it decide to play a full season in London. It could either put a franchise in the U.K.’s capital or have 16 different teams play eight matches, Waller said. Whatever the final decision may be, it all hinges on the NFL’s ability to create a large enough fan base to support eight games. Waller said that there is “no magic number” but there has to be a large enough fan base within a two-and-a-half hour catchment area of London. Free-to-air exposure is crucial in growing the fan base, he added. Last week, the BBC picked up the league’s free-to-air TV rights in the U.K. for the next two seasons after Channel 4 decided against renewing its rights agreement. The NFL is also available on pay-TV network Sky Sports in the U.K., which will show more than 100 games this season. Digital and social media are additional areas to connect with fans, according to Waller. The league expects int'l subscriptions for its online streaming service, NFL Game Pass, to increase by 10-15% this year.
