NFL Team To Play In London Until 2014

The National Football League (NFL) has expanded its plans for international growth after the St Louis Rams were named as the first franchise to play regular-season games abroad on an annual basis, for the next three years.

The Rams will play one regular-season home game in the UK in 2012, 2013 and 2014, beginning with a clash against the New England Patriots on 28th October at Wembley Stadium.

The game will kick off at 5pm, to coincide with the 1pm ET kick offs, and will be televised live in the United States on CBS.

The NFL also announced a new deal with Wembley, which gives the stadium exclusive rights to its International Series games in the UK and Northern Ireland for the next five years, through to 2016.

The Rams, who finished the 2011/12 season with a losing 2-14 record, already have a strong London connection, with owner Stan Kroenke holding a majority stake in Arsenal Football Club.

In 2011, the Chicago Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18 in the latest of five annual regular-season games to be played at Wembley.

The attendance of less than 77,000 for last season’s game was the lowest for the ‘International Series’ to date, although NFL officials had been discussing the prospect of staging a second annual game in London.

However, the League has confirmed that the Rams versus Patriots match-up will be the only NFL contest in the UK next season.

The NFL has stated that the international series of regular-season games has contributed to increased NFL fan interest in the UK, with a current fan base of 11 million, including more than two million avid fans – a 32% increase in the past two years.

Sunday television viewership of NFL games has also risen 154% and the Super Bowl audience has increased by 74% since 2006.