Football in London. Will the NFL place a Team there in the future? POLL

[BisonBacker]

Reading a lot about how well attended the games are in London. 4 games this year already sold out in April and attendance averaging 80K plus. Could a team thrive there? Logistically it would be tough with the travel and time difference. How well would that team do traveling to play on the West Coast with a 9 hour time difference. Even if they played the game early on the West Coast it would still be 9pm start time in London. Travel costs and jet lag would seem to be issues with a team in London no???? I know it's being talked about by the league, do you think it will happen?

[clenz]

They will want too, and the stadium will be in place with my beloved Tottenham Hotspur opening a gorgeous 65k seat stadium in 2 years. It's being designed specifically to accommodate NFL games. Retractable grass and turf fields - similar to Arizona's set up at UoP Stadium.

I just don't know how it works from a logistics stand point. You'd have to do split the season into quarters and play 4 at home, 4 on the road, 4 at home and 4 on the road or something like that. It's impossible for the league to work byes in such a manner to accommodate the travel to and from as well - especially for any team not on the eastern seaboard.

How the hell would that work for playoffs? Imagine a team playing at London for the wildcard round, and then having to play in California, or Washington, or Denver with the altitude issue, the week after.

I don't know how badly England really wants a team. I'm a few soccer forums based out of London and I don't get a sense they really feel the "need" for a team. London will always be used as a bargaining chip for a new stadium, but I don't see it ever happening.

[BisonBacker]

This is what prompted my post.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/06/06/nfl-london-games-2017-fan-passion


Gotta feel sorry for the Fans if they are cheering for Cleveland xlolx

And the jerseys. I counted eight Bears jerseys in Scotland in a crowd of 900, 18 Browns jerseys in a similar crowd in Nottingham. A guy came to Edinburgh in a Thomas Davis Panthers jersey, another to London in a Jadeveon Clowney Texans jersey. Kirk Cousins signed a Kirk Cousins jersey outside the venue in Liverpool. If Miami wideout Jarvis Landry looked hard enough, he’d have seen three Jarvis Landry jerseys in the crowd in Liverpool.

[clenz]

This is what prompted my post.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/06/06/nfl-london-games-2017-fan-passion


Gotta feel sorry for the Fans if they are cheering for Cleveland xlolx

And the jerseys. I counted eight Bears jerseys in Scotland in a crowd of 900, 18 Browns jerseys in a similar crowd in Nottingham. A guy came to Edinburgh in a Thomas Davis Panthers jersey, another to London in a Jadeveon Clowney Texans jersey. Kirk Cousins signed a Kirk Cousins jersey outside the venue in Liverpool. If Miami wideout Jarvis Landry looked hard enough, he’d have seen three Jarvis Landry jerseys in the crowd in Liverpool.
Which is why I can't see a team landing there.

They are so varied with their support. It's like a state/region that doesn't have their own NFL team in America. Those that want to follow a team will pick a team and follow it hard, no matter where it's from/the ties they may have with it.

I'd compare it to Iowa - Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago, Kansas City and formerly St Louis are all within an easy days drive for any Iowan. They are on TV all the time here. Denver is also on TV almost every week in Iowa. Plus all of the 49ers, Steelers, Cowboys, Patriot, etc... fans that just come with winning and building fan bases that way.

I'm sure sure I'd say Iowa has a "team". Sure, it skews heavier to the NFC North in terms of total fans, but I'm not sure that the NFC North teams (on their own) outnumber the other teams by much (if at all).


That same story is true for the NBA in Iowa.

Not that the NFL/NBA would ever try to put a team in Iowa, but the basic premise is the same.

[BisonBacker]

I only voted yes because of $$$$$$$. If there is Money to be made there they will do it. Clearly there is according to the writer of that article. Personally I wouldn't be interested in a team there but London and Mexico if they go international would be the first places they'd make it happen.

[clenz]

I only voted yes because of $$$$$$$. If there is Money to be made there they will do it. Clearly there is according to the writer of that article. Personally I wouldn't be interested in a team there but London and Mexico if they go international would be the first places they'd make it happen.
They'll move to a full seasons worth of games, I just can't see a permanent team.

By not having a team they can play 10-12+ games there vs 8 for a home team - assuming Tottenham let them. With them being in the PL, plus the CL, and then Europa and FA cups stadium use could be scarce for Sundays.

[BisonBacker]

They'll move to a full seasons worth of games, I just can't see a permanent team.

By not having a team they can play 10-12+ games there vs 8 for a home team - assuming Tottenham let them. With them being in the PL, plus the CL, and then Europa and FA cups stadium use could be scarce for Sundays.

I'm sure there is a stat somewhere for it but I haven't seen it regarding records of teams that have played a game in London for the week following that game (W-L record). I don't like it when the teams I follow play there. I'd hate if it was every year they had to play a game there.

[TheRevSFA]

You could do London's schedule with

first four on road
next 8 at home, as the team who comes in can get a bye
last four on road

dont think London would be hosting playoffs

it just isn't feasible overall, though

[citdog]

Maybe it will take an entire NFL team being blown up by followers of the syphilis ridden, pedophile, Jew hater for people to finally call a halt to the madness of importing them into formerly peaceful countries.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Maybe it will take an entire NFL team being blown up by followers of the syphilis ridden, pedophile, Jew hater for people to finally call a halt to the madness of importing them into formerly peaceful countries.


Never happen in our libtard world now. Europe can live with this **** now and forever.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

I voted No just because of the travel.

I suspect a team would be supported there but what a logistical nightmare.

[Bisonoline]

Reading a lot about how well attended the games are in London. 4 games this year already sold out in April and attendance averaging 80K plus. Could a team thrive there? Logistically it would be tough with the travel and time difference. How well would that team do traveling to play on the West Coast with a 9 hour time difference. Even if they played the game early on the West Coast it would still be 9pm start time in London. Travel costs and jet lag would seem to be issues with a team in London no???? I know it's being talked about by the league, do you think it will happen?

It will be harder on the players. But teams are already staying on the road for two weeks when they have back to back road games. All they will do is adjust travel times.

[Smitty]

It will be harder on the players. But teams are already staying on the road for two weeks when they have back to back road games. All they will do is adjust travel times.

The only realistic way they could pull this off is to develop a new division (or two technically) and then eventually they will all just meet in the playoffs March Madness style. Otherwise the travel and prep time for teams basically kills this idea. Unfortunately there will not be enough interest to pull this off.

[walliver]

The flight time from New York to London is 7 hours, Flight time to LA is 5 1/2 hours. If you put London in the AFC East, travel times would be reasonable for most teams. Miami would be a long haul, and might need to move to the AFC south. If out of division play was limited mostly the NFC East, then travel would be reasonable. Trips out west would need to be coordinated in a travel partner arrangement where the London team would stay in the US for 2-3 weeks. Travel from the West Coast to London would be more challenging although it could be accomplished fairly easily by not flying the team back between games; i.e., fly to London, then fly back to the east coast and play an east coast team, then go home.

To really make it work, the NFL would have to set up an "independent" training facility on the east coast that teams could use when not flying back home between games.

In the end, I suspect the NFL will decide it's not worth it.

[GodHelpTheBears]

I don't see any Premier League teams based out of New York City.

[JSUSoutherner]

No, if anything they will just create an entirely European NFL division.

I think Mexico City is the most likely international expansion team.

[GodHelpTheBears]

No, if anything they will just create an entirely European NFL division.

I think Mexico City is the most likely international expansion team.

I don't know why they cut NFL Europe in the first place - they did it right after they started the NFL network. They've turned the boat sideways, only London and maybe somewhere in Germany like Frankfurt or Dusseldorf has the football fan base to adequately support a team.

[POD Knows]

It is the freaking NFL, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, not the International Football League, screw Europe and Mexico.

[citdog]

There are other implications as well. Due to the "Hate Speech" laws in the UK some of the "terms of endearment" that players call one another would lead to them making appearances before the courts.

[BisonFan02]

It is the freaking NFL, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, not the International Football League, screw Europe and Mexico.

American League Toronto Blue Jays? :D

[Bisonoline]

https://sports.yahoo.com/colin-kaepernick-doing-little-help-161332600.html

Looks like cappy has a change of mind.

""All we’ve heard from Kaepernick came from the well-timed leak to Adam Schefter that Kaepernick will stand for the national anthem in 2017.""

[POD Knows]

American League Toronto Blue Jays? :DYea, good point, terminate the franchise or change the name of the division.

[POD Knows]

American League Toronto Blue Jays? :DWell, the NHL has teams from Canada and the US so I surrender.