The NFL on Thursday announced that it has extended its agreement to play regular-season games at London's Wembley Stadium for an additional five years, meaning that at least two games per year will be played at Wembley through '20. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who had already committed to playing one game in London per season through '16, will continue to play annually at Wembley every year throughout the agreement. The NFL -- which also has the option to extend the agreement for an additional five years beyond '20 -- has staged Int'l Series regular-season games at Wembley since '07 and is playing three games there in '15 for the second consecutive season. Earlier this year, the NFL and EPL side Tottenham announced an agreement to play a minimum of two games per year during a 10-year partnership at Tottenham's new state-of-the-art stadium, due to open in the summer of '18. NFL Exec VP/Int'l Mark Waller said, "These agreements reiterate the NFL's commitment to the UK, with two stadium deals running concurrently." Jacksonville Owner Shad Khan said, "Our four-year London initiative has been every bit as rewarding as we anticipated, certainly due in large part to the league's commitment to the U.K. and the world class experience that Wembley Stadium has provided the Jaguars, our fans and our partners." Participation in amateur football in the U.K. has risen by approximately 15% per year since '07, with the latest figures showing that 40,000 people age 16 or older play regularly (NFL).
