As the NFL says goodbye to London for another year, we reflect on an incredible month for the sport in the UK, with the Green Bay Packers wrapping up a clean sheet, Commissioner Roger Goodell teasing the European division and Wembley hosting their first game since 2019.
It was fun. Football game, touchdown, third down taunts, Tottenham Hotspursing, Wembley Waying, Broncos Country, let’s ride, Cheesehead, double play, London of it all.
It was just right for the unintentionally, silly-tailored, NFL to demonstrate “this is how we do it” over the past month, turning the capital into a dazzling football-festival center for the late-night British network alliance.
The League returned this October to be greeted with further lavish renovations by the fall. home to rest, celebrating priority work, poaching the Green Bay Packers from Lambo as the last team to play in London, marking their first Wembley return since 2019 with record attendance, seeing Justin Jefferson Griddy, Sakwon Barkley Shimmy and the bungee mascot Jags, infiltrating the staple of British culture, the pubs. Certain beer outlets throughout the city were reserved for certain teams, where team legends such as former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz hosted extended midweek fan training parties, and where Broncos president Damani Leach personally honored Denver. European fan group.
Much, if not all, of what the NFL could have originally imagined regarding UK residency has come to fruition: all 32 teams have taken risks, Tottenham are the overseas amphitheater of their dreams, the fandom has gone from quirky to fiery, and the games themselves have become the anchor of an overarching synergy that stimulates philanthropic initiatives and opportunities for young people.
“The Games are an important part of what we do to grow the NFL’s fan base and we will continue to work hard to make the weeks around the London Games bigger and better,” NFL UK General Manager Henry Hodgson told Sky Sports. “However, there are many other things we need to focus on in order to continue to develop this year-round presence across the UK.
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“Among these things will be continued focus on expanding the player base at NFL Flag, further developing the pipeline of elite players through the NFL Academy, and identifying new ways to engage younger NFL fans both through our broadcast partners and through social content that will make the sport more accessible.”
For those too young to get involved in pub “initiatives”, football camps offered face-to-face access to Russell Wilson and Steve Atwaters from around the world, a thriving JagTag halftime program was on display, and Southbank’s active takeover partially mimicked the Regent Street Parade. like Britain’s gleeful look at the backyards. In the meantime, Denver staff and cheerleaders took the time to volunteer at the London Community Kitchen where they packed bags and sorted food, the Minnesota Vikings supported local businesses by posing for pictures in National Vintage League wet clothes, and the UK NFL Foundation set up on this once. last year offered local schoolchildren the opportunity to take part in activities at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It all comes together in the “big picture” that the league places so much weight on when it comes to global expansion.
“My favorite part of the London Games weeks is the social events our team has with visiting NFL teams,” Hodgson said. “Seeing kids who are either veterans of our school’s NFL Flag program or encounter the NFL Flag for the first time while being coached by NFL players is always a great experience. It’s always such an exciting moment for these kids and feels like the start of a journey for them as an NFL Flag member and NFL fan alike.”
Parallel to the routine of the league’s annual trip remained the same freshman infatuation in response to football and his relationship with Great Britain. The buzz that welcomed Aaron Rodgers to the Spurs spoke of recognized privilege in the presence of greatness, while the sight of a traveling Packers fan questioning his British comrade about the quality of a Greggs sausage roll in London’s Liverpool Street kept that which makes the series special. . After some thought, he bought a roll.
