NFL Franchise in the UK by 2020?

[Dean_Leyland]

Hey All,

Last night saw the 4th regular season NFL game take place at Wembley in the UK, from what many friends and colleagues tell me it was yet another huge success. Already today there is lots of talk about London having their own NFL franchise by 2020, what do we think of this?

NFL is clearly a growing sport over here, the guys in the office seem to talk more about NFL fantasy teams and results than they do regular football. There is no doubt it is a growing sport to bet on with us, I am sure with most others too.

I personally think the team would just be filled with guys coming over from the US who are nearing the end of their career and looking for that one final paycheck. Similar to the kind of players the MLS have recruited lately just like Beckham, Henry and Ljungberg! All players who were awesome in their time in the Premier League but couldn't quite cut it at a top club any more so moved away.

Dean

[bets@betsfreebets.co]

This would spice up European sports betting by 5%

[grem]

i cannot see nfl happening in anywhere in europe unless it is special games.

[Anthony-Coral]

The World League of American Football didn't exactly take much root in Europe...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_L...rican_Football

The first season of the World League was great and I got to a couple of the games as well as the final but within a few seasons the US teams had dropped out until the league consisted, I think, almost entirely of German teams.

I'd been to a couple of the original Wembley NFL events when they were playing pre-season games there in the '80's when the wider popularity of the game was in it's first phase.

I think there's more likely hood of an NBA franchise in London before an NFL team.

But like football (soccer) in the US, is this the start of something more solid?

Football (soccer) had a brief time in the sun in the 70's with the NASL and the NY Cosmos (anyone seen/read Once in a Lifetime? - awesome!) and then decades later the establishment of the MLS.

Europe had teams in the World League, pre-season NFL games. It now has regular season games and talk of a franchise.....

Stranger things have happened

[dino4949]

Cant see that happening. I was also at the game, great stadium! ( i am from Holland).

There were a lot of non british at the game and they will not fly over every week.

But it would be very COOL