That takes moving to a whole new level. I'd always assumed it'd be a new team tbh!
Imagine Southampton suddenly being based in Detroit...
It will still be NFL as it will be an existing team moving to London, by the looks of things Jacksonville. Be interesting to see what happens if that is a success. Will they expand the league to add more European teams, they can't really add a third conferernce without huge changes.
They tried a seperate league before, the World League launched in 91, which had London Monarchs playing at Wembley in a league that was a mix of Europe, Canada and America. Started well but only lasted 2 seasons.
Was then relaunched in 95 as NFL Europe, with a move to White Hart Lane for London, with just European teams with the season moved to after the American season to try and increase TV numbers in the US. Then then moved to Stamford Bridge.
In 98 it was decided London wasn't working, attendances had dropped to well below 20K and there was a rebrand to England Monarchs with the team travelling around the country. Didn't work and attendances dropped off massively. They folded after that season, the only other UK team (Scottish Claymores) folded in 04 and the whole league collapsed in. From then on all but one team was German. The whole league was binned off in 07.
There's still a European League which has a London and Manchester teams. There's a British league as well which has the Coventry Jets who play in the top tier and do pretty well. They play at Sphinx I think.
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I was there last Saturday to see the final league game of the year against Real Salt Lake.
My ticket was $21 and I had a great seat in the corner of a fantastic stadium.
Sounders won 3-1 with Clint Dempsey scoring so it was a great day all round..
The atmosphere was a little strange though as kids were just running up and down the stands and whole families just sitting chatting to each other as the game went on.
The noise level was really quiet considering there were 55,000 in there..
Obafemi Martins was playing for the Sounders as well and if he'd have made a bit of an effort during the game the score might have been even more emphatic..
Jesus, he's one lazy bastard..............
All in all a great game though
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Been popular for nigh on 30 years, Gazbola.
Would guess that the majority there were Brits. I went to a Wembley game a few years back and it was mainly British people I cams across. As soon as they announce the games they sell out very, very quickly too.
Think the obvious answer to how popular it is here is the fact that a UK NFL franchise team is very much on the cards, so we'll have a permanent NFL team here in the very near future.
fuking packers lost 2 on trot now. rogers getting sacked left right and centre vs panthers
should have kicked a field goal and tried an onside kick at the end perhaps
My Redskins too.3 now, and it could very well be 4 @ vikings next Sunday!
Big win for my Redskins, Kirk Cousins looks to be finding his range, albeit against a woeful Saints defense, but with the Eagles and Giants slipping up and the cowboys looking hopeless without Romo the NFC East is wide open!
Hmm, so that's why we had one NFL game here every year, which was then increased to two NFL games a year and now this year has 3 NFL games here and why every game is sold out and 500,000 people turn out for the annual Regent Street NFL zone day.
A London franchise of an NFL team to be in place within just a few years too.
Yep, definitely not popular at all in the UK for sure.
Why not! Moving is what they do best!Wasps moving to New Zealand next then.
I must say, I'm shocked that Greenland even has a national sport...I know it's classed as a Danish territory, with a population of about 60 000, but Glacier League Tournaments and Shifting Ice Sheet Cup games? Hmmm...
Surprised about South Africa too. Would've thought they're Rugby or Cricket.
Surprised about South Africa too. Would've thought they're Rugby or Cricket.
Been a brilliant weekend of games. Watched all 4 and they were all really exciting games with 2 of them going right down to the wire.Started watching the NFL last year when it was on channel 4 and I was up at silly o'clock. Started getting into it and watched the Superbowl (as a result I'm sort of following the sea hawks). Its interesting and can be exciting, especially after the 2 hours plus and it all comes down to the final 30 seconds. Friend is a packers fan and promised to explain the rules but I've mostly picked them up myself.
I'd love to go to Wembley to see it as a few from work went this year and the idea of a London/British team is pretty much a done deal.
That said, its nothing compared to actual football. I mean they only play for a third of the year and most of the 'playing time' is spent twiddling their thumbs!
If Rodgers is on fire then I see no reason why they can't win the Superbowl.go pack go!
AFC is wide open, chiefs and broncos offence is struggling but their defence's are playing well. pats are banged up but you cant write Brady off, and as long as Roethlisberger is healthy on Sunday their offence can be deadly.
NFC i cant see past panthers or cardinals, both elite on defence, but panthers offence has been good with cam newton doing excellent things with not much in receivers. green bay I think are just not good enough, Rodgers hasn't been great all season but had flashes on Sunday and Arizona destroyed them a couple of weeks ago, the offensive line cant protect Rodgers. Seahawks got lucky against the vikes and the offence isn't good enough, but I wouldn't be surprised if they beat the panthers.
my prediction for the superbowl is patriots vs panthers