NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's goal of a London-based NFL franchise "is well-known, but by no means is it a forgone conclusion," according to Melissa Jacobs of the London GUARDIAN. But the signs of success "are increasingly there." The league will again play three games in London this season, but this year’s games "are designed to mimic the ebbs and flows of a typical NFL schedule." It is based on the public’s appetite "to regularly attend games when they are not setup as a special event." All three games this year will start at 1:30pm U.K. time. Moving the kickoff times "is a dramatic departure" from the previous 6pm U.K. kickoff times that were catered to U.S., not U.K. fans. The "most telling" indicator of the NFL’s growth ambitions "comes from the money pot known as an NFL television contract." Last year, Sky Sports "extended their long-standing relationship with the NFL in the UK for another five years," and in '15 will broadcast 80 games, including Monday Night Football for the first time, as well as its usual fare of the playoffs and Super Bowl.
Speculation that a franchise may be coming to the U.K. "was further fueled in July this year, when Tottenham Hotspur announced that their new stadium, set to open in 2018, will also host NFL games." The stadium "will host a minimum of two NFL games a season for 10 years and will be constructed specifically to accommodate an NFL team." While Goodell "repeatedly expresses certainty in his desire to house a franchise in London, he tends to avoid specifics on the process to make that happen." NFL UK Managing Dir Alistair Kirkwood "offers a more pragmatic approach." Kirkwood, who has been an NFL UK exec since '00, "places cultivating a new fan base atop his list of numerous duties."
According to Kirkwood, 3.1 million Britons "now consider themselves NFL fans, based on a self-reported survey distributed in February." This dedication to the NFL "can range from watching three games a year to spending 10 hours a day consuming league news." Kirkwood believes that "in order to warrant either an expansion franchise or be attractive enough for an existing team to consider relocation," the U.K. fan base needs to grow to 5.5 or 6 million. Kirkwood said that the "average age of a fan who attends NFL games at Wembley is 33," while the average age of an NFL fan in the U.K. is just 27. In contrast, the average NFL fan in the United States is 44. Kirkwood: "You’re going to appeal to someone who has more time on their hands, perhaps without familial commitments." There's another "fascinating layer to the mission." How does the NFL UK "reconcile growing the fan base as a whole with promoting the Jacksonville Jaguars."
The Jaguars "are in the third year of a four year deal to play one home game a season at Wembley," and reports suggest that Owner Shahid Khan "will announce a four-year extension when the Jaguars 'host' the Bills in London this October." The efforts to increase Jacksonville’s presence in London "have been intense." The NFL UK office "has undoubtedly embraced the Jags." They heavily promote the "Union Jax" fan club, which currently counts 33,000 fans as members, and they "openly root for them to succeed" (GUARDIAN, 8/4).
