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Future NFL Expansion?


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On 18/01/2019 at 10:53 AM, Boknows34 said:

I’m British, live close by to London and can tell you it would be a major challenge to get one UK franchise to work long term, let alone two. 

There are only two suitable stadiums in the whole of the UK for any potential franchises. Both are in London and were built with an eye towards the NFL (Wembley and the new White Hart Lane). Not many stadiums here have the required length of playing surface (120 yards plus the safety runoff area behind each end zone) or the facilities/locker rooms for an NFL team. Old Trafford, home to Manchester Utd has a 76,000 capacity but will never host an NFL game as the playing surface is far too short.

FWIW  I’m very sceptical even one franchise here would work long term for many various reasons, but especially once they started going through a sustained period of of 4 and 5 win seasons. The casual and more fickle younger fans probably won’t stick with it and lose interest if they’re not successful. 

Veteran NFLUK fans like myself already support their teams (many going back over 30 years when the sport first hit our TV screens) and won’t change allegiance. I might go to 1-2 games per year in London depending on the opponent but I would have no interest in going to every game or actively supporting the team. Many UK fans on a season ticket package are travelling from quite a distance and are really stretched to the limit financially as it is  attending 3-4 games. They would really need to keep expanding the fan base in London and sell ticket packages for 4 home games as well as all 8 for any franchise. 

 

The Olympic stadium has the space needed.

More than enough.

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3 hours ago, Mega Ron said:

The Olympic stadium has the space needed.

More than enough.

Not unless you want to watch in a shallow bowl with poor sight lines (resulting in multiple front rows being tarped) and have the closest fans behind each end zone sit at least 50 yards away. The atmosphere would be awful, as West Ham fans would testify. I’ve been to the Olympic stadium and It’s not suitable for NFL. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

4 games again in London this year. I think a 6-2 home game format where 6 are taking place in Wembley and 2  somewhere else seems most likely.

They've averaging 84,000+ attendance while Ford Field in Detroit has a capacity of 65,000. Simple math will tell you 6 games at Wembley is very reasonable however the actual financial output I don't know. Now obviously you're getting multiple teams as oppose to the same one likely being pounded lol.

Still, the way things seem to be going it looks like 1 of 2 things is happening by 2030. Either a full-fledged UK based team or 8 games a year.

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I’ve never understood why the league hasn’t tried to get into Virginia? While I’m a Redskins fan they really could ****** all of the young fans up in this area with an expansion team and probably quite a few Redskins faithful who’ve simply had enough of Snyder. 

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