Coming into it’s seventh season in the UK, the NFL
International Series had arguably more pressure on it’s hands than previous
editions, as not just one but two regular season games were going to take place
at London’s Wembley Stadium. The move was made by NFL commissioner Roger
Goodell due to the furious uptake for the first seven clashes, which saw every
game sold-out and thousands upon thousands of fans streaming from all reaches
of the globe to grab a taste of what the NFL had to offer. But few really knew
whether the interest would hold enough to successfully stage two games within
in a month of each other on British soil.
For the fans, especially the casual or neutral supporters,
close games of high tension are the key into gaining an interest. Many
predicted that the first game, between the then winless teams of the Pittsburgh
Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings, would be a tight, high-scoring affair
between two franchises that desperately needed to get their seasons up and
running pronto. They weren’t wrong. With the final score being 34-27 to the
Vikings, the game was considered to be one of the best displays at Wembley by
the NFL. It would also be safe to say that the second game, between the 2012
NFC Champions and Super-Bowl runners up the San Francisco 49ers and the winless
since November 2012 and not-scored-a-touchdown-at home-all-season Jacksonville
Jaguars, was treated as a less significant affair. The 49ers were predicted
heavy favourites, and with a strong history, they were never going to struggle
to drum up support. But with the Jaguars signing a four-year “home” contract
with Wembley the previous year, it was important that Jacksonville gave the
UK-based supporters reasons to cheer for them.
So, they went all out. Cheerleaders were sent over to woo the public,
doing various stops around the UK to spread the Jaguars “roar”. Heck, their
owner Shahid Khan even went and bought a football team in London (Fulham) to
send the whispers of “maybe Jacksonville are thinking of moving here too” all
the way back Stateside. So although on paper the game looked less appealing to
the neutral fan, the reality was far different, with a confirmed attendance of
83,559 for the match alone.
Wembley pre-game for the visit of the Jaguars and the 49ers.
As always the question is when the NFL comes to the UK is
how do the teams and players feel about the journey. Not only is the journey
obviously far longer, but they have to deal with jet-lag and of course go
without home comforts. That said, Coach Harbaugh of the 49ers said on Friday
that he thought the team had done “a great job. They packed their playbook,
their toothbrush and a good attitude” to deal with the change of scenery. Star
linebacker Patrick Willis also commented that “it was a long flight to get
here, but on the other hand it was one of the nicest planes I’ve ever been on”,
proving that there were added perks to the longer than usual journey. Teams
also go about the trip in entirely different ways. Some teams like the Patriots
last year and the Steelers for the first game this year came to London just a
few days before the match. Other teams, like both the 49ers and the Jaguars,
come immediately following their previous fixture, presumably to allow
themselves more time to get over the jetlag. This also allows for a bit more
relaxation on the part of the organisations. It’s hard to be in a city like
London for a week and not try and take in the various sights. Coach Harbaugh
said that on the 49ers itinerary were “Marble Arch, Park Lane, Hyde Park
Corner, Buckingham Palace, Parliament Square, 10 Downing Street and Trafalgar
Square.” He also conveyed his love for Winston Churchill, declaring that along
with wanting to see the war rooms, he had prepared in his speech for the match
the words “history will be kind to us because we intend to write it.” That
sentiment might have been somewhat lost on safety Donte Whitner though, who
confessed that unlike his head coach that he wasn’t “a history buff”.
Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee took a far more relaxed affair to
the game, saying that when he wasn’t improving his game in the training ground,
he was “improving my other game, golf.” It seems then that the players find
many different ways to entertain themselves during their stay. Not only that,
they appear to enjoy it. Whitner joined the latest line of NFL players
declaring their love for the city of London, taking to Twitter to state “I’m
thinkin’ about getting a place here y’kno”. Kind words from a man who is in the
process of changing his surname to “Hitner” due to his penchant for striking opponents with particular ferocity.
With the International series seemingly not losing any
momentum any time soon (indeed three matches will be taking place at Wembley in
2014), where does the NFL go from here? Talk of a London-based franchise has
been rife since day one, something that again divides players and fans alike.
Robert Kraft, New England Patriots owner, reaffirmed again this year that it was
“a ten year plan” for London to get it’s own NFL franchise. Along with that and
Jaguars owner Khan having an interest in British based sport, commissioner
Goodell said at the fan rally that it was his “desire to have a franchise here
in London”. The argument presented against that happening is nearly all
logistical. The long flight times, the commitment to a franchise away from
family and friends on players and staff, the timing and scheduling of games all
have to be taken into account before this can be a remotely viable idea. Because
of this, not all players all thrilled with the notion. Steelers linebacker
Jarvis Jones commented that “just flying over there (to London) for a weekend
is hard, so imagine flying back and forth to the States. I wouldn’t like it.”
Convincing fans to support the “local” team instead of their chosen American
franchise would be another stumbling block that would have to be dealt with,
especially to the older generation. However, there is a lot of potential for
London to one day have a franchise, even if talk is cagey at the moment.
Shahid Khan - Jags and Fulham FC's owner. Could the Jags move to the UK?
For the younger generation, the sport has never been more
popular. Uptake at Universities such as Birmingham and Loughborough have seen
try-out numbers during fresher’s week be more than that of the football and
rugby teams, with numbers touching three figures. At a national level, it is
much the same story. Ex-Rugby players are consistently making the switch to try
and play Gridiron, where the sport is also getting much needed publicity from
figures such as Vernon Kay, who alongside presenting Family Fortunes plays
safety for the Premier Division champions the London Warriors. The BritBowl
final that took place at the beginning of the month was attended by just under
1000 people and was recorded by Sky Sports for a special program scheduled for
air on Thanksgiving weekend alongside the NFL games. It might have taken the
best part of 60 years, but slowly but surely, the UK is jumping on the American
Football bandwagon.
As for game eight of the NFL International series? Well that
ended in the blowout that was predicted, with a 42-10 crushing recorded by the
49ers. Still, at least the Jaguars gained not just their first touchdown of the
year at home (technically), but also, mainly thanks to the great effort they
made to immerse themselves in British culture and tradition, the continued
support of the British public for the next few years at least. See you in 2014
Jacksonville.
