Twickenham will next year play host to touchdowns, field goals and linebackers after the home of English rugby union "agreed to host at least three top-level American football matches," according to Sam Munnery of the LONDON TIMES. The NFL and the RFU agreed that the stadium in south-west London will "stage three regular-season games over a three-year period." The deal will start in October '16, with the teams for the first Int'l Series game at Twickenham "to be announced later this year." The agreement also gives the NFL the "opportunity to stage two extra games at the 82,000-capacity venue over the same period." The NFL "has enjoyed great success in staging matches at Wembley, which can hold 90,000 spectators, and recently extended its agreement with that stadium, meaning that a minimum of two games per year will be played there" through '20. NFL Exec Int'l VP Mark Waller said that the NFL is "committed to continuing to grow our sport in the UK" (LONDON TIMES, 11/3). EVENT MAGAZINE's Katie Deighton wrote the NFL Int'l Series provides a "fertile activation ground for brands, with the likes of Pepsi Max, StubHub and Budweiser" activating at the NFL's 14th Int'l Series game at Wembley on Sunday. NFL UK has not currently "cemented any plans for brand activation at Twickenham." However it said, "We are very excited about continuing to develop activation plans with all of our sponsors at all of our stadiums" (EVENT MAGAZINE, 11/3). ESPN's Tom Hamilton wrote the deal is "a ground-breaking announcement." The traditional home of English rugby has "played host to concerts and rugby league in the past but never NFL." A crowd of 80,125 "attended the Rugby World Cup final at the stadium on Saturday" (ESPN, 11/3).
