NFL Scraps Plans For Second UK Game

The National Football League has decided against staging a second game in the UK in 2010 citing economic factors as the reason behind its decision.

The NFL, which has held a regular season game in the UK for the last three years, blamed uncertainty over its collective bargaining agreement with players and global economic factors.

Earlier this month, NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said two teams had ‘agreed conceptually’ to play home games in Britain this year.

Wembley will host a regular season game between the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers in October this year.

Following the success of the NFL’s first trip to London, in 2007, the league committed to playing regular season games in the UK.

But in a statement on Sunday, the NFL said: ‘Playing one game in the UK is a significant investment. Playing a second game is an even bigger investment.

‘As we considered this, the uncertainty related to the ongoing CBA discussions linked to the current global economic climate were critical factors in our decision not to play a second game in the UK.

‘Our ambition to bring a second game to the UK is as strong as ever. Once the current uncertainty is resolved, we will be in a strong position to bring multiple games to our UK fanbase.’

Wembley Stadium has hosted one game per season for the past three years.

The New England Patriots beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of an 84,254 crowd in the 2009 game.

League bosses in the US had hinted there could be as many as four games per season played in Britain by 2012, possibly in cities other than London.

However that timescale seems unlikely after the NFL’s latest announcement.