The Industry Column – 5 December

Following the announcement that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play the New England Patriots in a third NFL game at Wembley next year, NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood warns that the elements that go into staging a successful event on foreign soil should not be taken for granted.

Reaction to the recent news that the NFL would be playing a regular-season game in London for the third consecutive year was a good indication of how quickly the event is becoming an established part of the UK sporting calendar.

After announcing that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be hosting the New England Patriots at Wembley on 25th October next year, we had far fewer of the ‘why are you doing this?’ questions that greeted the first two games we played over here.

Among our fans, the discussion understandably has become about the relative merits of the participating teams, while the media, keen to move the story along to the next staging post, have been asking: “Where is this all heading?”

For those of us charged with developing the NFL’s presence and its business here in the UK, it would be easy for us to get swept along in the rush to discuss the possibility of London having its own franchise in the not-too-distant future.

But that would be to do a disservice to our Wembley event and would overlook the considerable achievement of playing real, competitive games here.

Even before the multiple logistical factors come into play, there is the issue of a team volunteering to give up one its most precious commodities: one of only eight home games they play each season.

Naturally, the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints’ decision to play home games in London in 2007 and 2008 prompted some raised eyebrows in their home cities, as will that of the Glazer family to bring the Buccaneers to these shores next year.

It says much for the ownership of those teams and their relationship with the fans that they felt confident in explaining their rationale to their season ticket holders without fear of protestors besieging their offices.

This also underlines an ‘all for one’ attitude among NFL owners that is unique in professional sports. So much of the way the league is structured, with the salary cap, shared revenues etc, is for the greater good of the league rather than to the benefit of a small number of teams.

That teams are willing to give up home games demonstrates the appreciation among NFL owners of how playing the highest level of our sport over here can act as a multiplier for our business, creating new fans and developing new opportunities.

They understand the significance of having the game shown live on BBC 2 and Sky Sports – as was the case this year – and acknowledge the need to build on that by doing all we can to become a part of the mainstream sporting landscape.

The question of “what happens next?” is a valid one, but it should not blind anyone to the fact that “making it happen now” is a fantastic accomplishment in its own right.