3rd NFL game in London every Season

[Da Man Clay]

Does Adrian T still play defence for Sussex Thunder?

Believe he plays over in Denmark now.

Ian Ellis and Dean Smart are very good friends of mine

Ian is a really good bloke. Made me feel so welcome when I first started - helped by me being a tampa fan as well I imagine! I've not met Dean so not sure he's still around.

 

[Bladders]

Good news for us then Looks like the London Jaguars might only be a few years away.

Still wish Malcolm Glazier's Bucs would move to Manchester instead (since he owns United too).

Anyone else going? Both this year's games sold out virtually instantly yet again. Anyone else actually play?




Would it be a good use for the Olympic Stadium?

Please god no! even the good people of Jacksonville do not want them.

I've been a Bengals fan since 1983 and would have no interest in a 'London franchise' and from reading various uk forums nor would most other NFL fans. No one is going to change the team they support to the Jags or any other UK based team and I cant see them filling a stadium 8 times a year with the cost involved.

Fans who go to the Wembley games are from all over the UK, Ireland, Germany and those that come over from the States. Affordable once or twice per year but not 8 times per year, evey year, for the same team.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Please god no! even the good people of Jacksonville do not want them.

I've been a Bengals fan since 1983 and would have no interest in a 'London franchise' and from reading various uk forums nor would most other NFL fans. No one is going to change the team they support to the Jags or any other UK based team and I cant see them filling a stadium 8 times a year with the cost involved.

Fans who go to the Wembley games are from all over the UK, Ireland, Germany and those that come over from the States. Affordable once or twice per year but not 8 times per year, evey year, for the same team.

I think many people who have been a fan of a franchise for 30 years would stay supporting their team yeah. They still might want individual game tickets and not just when 'their' team comes to London to play. Also sooooooo many casual fans would get much more into it. There might also be new owners and a re-brand (fairly sure on both fronts). Look at any American sports moves in history. Massive teams keep their identity but most moves are of failing teams who rebrand and move partly as a result of an ownership change.





Other replies........ Bucs fan here and not many of us around! i get alot of stick for it but meh! Best defense since the mid-80's Bears when I was in pre-school.



And to the person asking about the Hastings team, I've had a couple of PM's too and waffled on, but check out Hastings Conquerors on facebook. Train Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings (busier) at William Parker (down by Hastings and Bexhill Rugby Club's clubhouse). Got 30 sets of kit coming end of August but for now it's a great group of guys getting fit, teaching some of the rugby and football lads about the game, playing official flag matches against establish teams and we have about 5 sets of kit come to training that people borrow and get used to. Any standard welcome. Only been going 3 months but have official invite to full contact lower league for next season so we train toward that not just flag stuff. Got a few Uni lads who've played too as their season ends as men's starts. Us experienced players are dusting off the cobwebs and teaching those with less experience really though.

More than welcome to PM if don't use facebook and I can give more details and introduce people if you come down sometime

Mike

 

[Hotchilidog]

Please god no! even the good people of Jacksonville do not want them.

I've been a Bengals fan since 1983 and would have no interest in a 'London franchise' and from reading various uk forums nor would most other NFL fans. No one is going to change the team they support to the Jags or any other UK based team and I cant see them filling a stadium 8 times a year with the cost involved.

Fans who go to the Wembley games are from all over the UK, Ireland, Germany and those that come over from the States. Affordable once or twice per year but not 8 times per year, evey year, for the same team.

I think any London based franchise would have its eyes on new fans as well as existing ones. I couldn't give up supporting the Redskins for a London franchise but I would still be excited if there were one. The key word for the NFL is expansion, it is looking to develop a new market as the US becomes saturated, so I do think a London franchise would be just for existing fans. I think it would be possible to sustain 60,000-70,000 per game, 80,000 would probably be too much. Anything over 60,000 would be respectable and would compare well with quite a few franchises.

 

[Bladders]

I think many people who have been a fan of a franchise for 30 years would stay supporting their team yeah. They still might want individual game tickets and not just when 'their' team comes to London to play. Also sooooooo many casual fans would get much more into it. There might also be new owners and a re-brand (fairly sure on both fronts). Look at any American sports moves in history. Massive teams keep their identity but most moves are of failing teams who rebrand and move partly as a result of an ownership change.

........or the stadium isn't up to scratch anymore. Looks like Raiders are looking to leave Oakland again.

From Yahoo.com finance

The Raiders will play in the NFL next year. They just will not play in Oakland. The team, founded in 1960, was one of the original members of the AFL and joined the NFL when the leagues merged in 1970. The Raiders won the Super Bowl in 1976, 1980 and 1983. The team’s track record has been poor over the past decade. The Raiders left Oakland once before, when the franchise worked out a better stadium deal in Los Angeles from 1983 to 1994. Oakland lured the team back with an agreement to add $220 million in improvements to the stadium where the team would play. One reason the team will leave Oakland again is the financial plans of the new owners. Al Davis had controlling ownership of the team from the 1960s until he died last year. His heirs and several smaller shareholders now control the team. Current team managing owner Mike Davis already has said he may move the Raiders back to LA to get a better stadium deal. The current Oakland stadium contract expires next year. Davis recently told the San Francisco Chronicle, “Yeah, Los Angeles is a possibility. Wherever’s a possibility. We need a stadium.” The Raiders also could move to Santa Clara, where they would share a stadium with the San Francisco 49ers, much as the New York Jets and Giants do.

Personally I thin a London Franchise would die on it's arse after the novelty has worn off, and where would they play? No one is going to finance a stadium build for an 8 game season.

Wembley and the Olympic stadium (soon to be used by West Ham) would not allow their pitches to be churned up with American football form Sept to Jan.

 

[Simster]

Wembley and the Olympic stadium (soon to be used by West Ham) would not allow their pitches to be churned up with American football form Sept to Jan.

Couldn't they play 4 games at each venue? I'm fairly sure that if the money was right, both venues would be more than happy with that.

 

[Stat Brother]

To look at it in the very long term.

With a regular team playing at 'home', I'm sure once again the fixtures will be favourable.
Within a very short time frame the London Jags will have played every other team at home.

Many of those teams will be a guaranteed sell out, to different fans.
Tickets to the Pats, Packers, Bears, 49ers, etc will be like goal dust, to different people.

Very quickly they've developed a massive fan base who all have one thing in common, The Jags.

 

[Bladders]

To look at it in the very long term.

With a regular team playing at 'home', I'm sure once again the fixtures will be favourable.
Within a very short time frame the London Jags will have played every other team at home.

Many of those teams will be a guaranteed sell out, to different fans.
Tickets to the Pats, Packers, Bears, 49ers, etc will be like goal dust, to different people.

Very quickly they've developed a massive fan base who all have one thing in common, The Jags.

I and other NFL fans I know would show little interest in a London based team, just the cost alone would put most off, just look at the fuss over the price of football tickets at the moment let alone shelling out £80 a game to watch a 2nd team. London and the surrounding area would not generate enough season ticket holders imo, and those who come further afield currently for one or two games per season would not be coming to every home game due to cost and travel.

I'd go when the Bengals are in town but if the Jags ended up in the NFC after some realignment that would be every EIGHT years

 

[Stat Brother]

As you I'd go to a Packers game, in a heart beat.

So they've got me through the door, it'll be up to the NFL to keep me there.

 

[Bladders]

As you I'd go to a Packers game, in a heart beat.

So they've got me through the door, it'll be up to the NFL to keep me there.

In all honesty, as much as I enjoy my days out to Wembley every year the game itself has been designed for the TV viewer and I think I actually prefer watching it on the box.

Doesn't help that since the Chargers/Saints game they have all been a bit one sided and have lacked excitement.

Praying the Steelers @ Vikings game will be a barnstormer plus for once I have a genuin interst in the match and will be booing the Steelers till my voice goes.