Boom or Bust: Is the NFL's expansion set to last?

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.