The NFL International Series has been a huge hit on this side of the Atlantic, with the United Kingdom hosting at least one regular season fixture since 2007.
Heading into the 2022 NFL season, we’ve seen 31 teams across 30 games in London – and the Green Bay Packers will complete the set later this year.
And while tickets for the NFL International Series sell like hot cakes, there are doubts over the longevity of a potential franchise in the United Kingdom.
Here, we look at the possibility of a London NFL team and why I, like many sports betting fans, believe that we shouldn’t change a winning formula.
Fans Already Follow Existing Teams
The beauty of the International Series is that it allows British fans the chance to watch the highest paid NFL players and their favourite teams live in person.
You’d imagine the vast majority of those in attendance at London fixtures are already NFL fans and therefore, almost certainly support an existing franchise.
The main difficulty that a London team would face is with home advantage, with British fans of the opposing teams buying tickets in a bid to watch their own teams.
Therefore, for the first few years at least, the UK team would have to cope with a mixed atmosphere – as is often the case for International Series games.
Is A London Team Attractive To The Sport?
London is a beautiful city and tourists really enjoy taking in the sights before heading to the game. However, the wider NFL community are almost certainly against a UK franchise – and with good reason.
Logistically, the NFL International Series has created problems regarding bye weeks in years gone by and that would be enhanced if we had weekly games in London.
In addition, the UK team would be instantly on the back foot as they’d be required to travel to the United States for road games and jet lag/fatigue would be a serious concern.
The concept is great but in practice, there are glaring issues. Plenty of meticulous planning would be required for a London franchise to *ever* crack the National Football League.
Disrupts The League Balance
While this in itself is not a reason to shelve UK NFL plans, it must be considered. In its current state, the NFL is made up of 32 teams – with 16 in each conference and four in every division.
Would a UK team replace an existing squad? There were talks of the Jacksonville Jaguars – now widely regarded as the UK’s unofficial team – shutting up shop and starting fresh but nothing ever materialised.
Will the NFL ever have a team in London? @leighsteinberg explained why he doesn't think it will happen. https://t.co/IDOMntNa6O@Ike_SwagginU | @BleavNetwork | #NFL pic.twitter.com/W8F6f5omts
— Mark Bergin (@mdbergin) August 20, 2022
As NFL betting markets and interest in the sport increases over here, it’s hardly a surprise that rumours of a UK team are not going away. However, maybe it’s time to shut those down.
The American pursuit will say: it’s the National Football League, not the International Football League. And for me, that view is spot on – the NFL International Series works, why try and fix what isn’t broken?
