NFL U.K.'s Kirkwood Discusses Timeline For Franchise In London

London is "one step closer to getting its own NFL franchise," as NFL U.K. Managing Dir Alistair Kirkwood today said that the sport's "global expansion plans are slowly ticking all the right boxes." Kirkwood said, "I think the first chapter has been considered a success with the owners voting on a renewal going forward. Jacksonville returning is also a sign of maturity of the concept. What this now does is allow us to test if we can bring in more new fans and boost a single team recognition. Once that period has come up we will then have learnt an awful lot about it and know what the viability for us going forward is" (REUTERS, 8/23).