NFL UK Managing Dir Alistair Kirkwood "softened expectations of a British franchise in the near future," according to Sean Ingle of the London GUARDIAN. He said that while the sport has "great momentum," he does not expect a London team this decade. In the past week British Chancellor George Osborne and London Mayor Boris Johnson have talked of their hopes of an NFL franchise coming to London, "with Johnson suggesting that a team could be playing at Tottenham's revamped stadium 'in the next few years.'" But Kirkwood was "more circumspect." Kirkwood: "We are in a good place but as we become bigger and more ambitious we probably also need to be more cautious and thoughtful too." He added, "Last autumn the top 25 most-watched programs in the United States were all NFL games and that's unparalleled. So when you are talking about doing something that's potentially seismically different, you have to make sure it will not only work in the U.K. but be aware of its impact in the U.S. too. It's an absolute big leap and none of us can accurately predict the pacing and the sequencing." Kirkwood has confirmed that there will be at least three NFL games at Wembley in '16, although he "refused to be drawn on whether that might increase," but he believes that playing all three U.K. games in the early afternoon this year for the first time will "enhance the prestige" of the Int'l Series (GUARDIAN, 10/3).
