Rams Get Go Ahead For Wembley Deal
The St. Louis Rams have finally received clearance to begin their visits to London for the annual NFL game at Wembley Stadium, following complaints concerning details of the team’s lease at it’s home ground, Edward Jones Dome.
A deal was originally announced last month that the NFL franchise would further the League’s international growth plans after being named as the first team to play regular-season games abroad on an annual basis.
The deal is intended to run for the next three years, playing 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.
However, the agreement had looked in doubt after the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVC) complained about the terms of the team’s lease at the Dome.
The lease had required the Rams to play all home games at the Dome and the Bureau was concerned about the potential loss of revenue arising from a game moving to the UK.
The dispute has since been settled, with the Rams offering to increase the number of football season weekends that the Dome can be booked for other uses, and will also pay temporary employees the wages they would have earned by working the game in St. Louis.
The Rams finished the 2011/12 regular season with a dismal 2-14 record.
