NFL going to London in 2007

[Billy Flynt]

From ESPN.com

London wins right to host first game outside N. America
Associated Press


LONDON -- London will hold the NFL's first regular-season game outside North America, beating out several German cities for the 2007 contest.

The opponents have yet to be announced, and the most likely venue is the new Wembley Stadium, which is to open this spring after years of delays.

"There is no better place to begin this initiative than London," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "It is one of the great cities of the world with an established and growing fan base for our game."

The Miami Dolphins are believed to be a front-runner as the host team. Goodell is expected to announce game details before the Feb. 4 Super Bowl in Miami.

NFL owners voted in October to play up to two games outside the United States every season for the next five years. Britain, Germany, Canada and Mexico have been identified as the top markets for NFL games outside the United States. China and Japan were ruled out of the running.

"There are many NFL fans in London -- both American and non-American -- and this will be a spectacular sporting occasion," Mayor Ken Livingstone said. "After [the] success in winning the 2012 Olympics and Parlalympic Games, we want to bring Londoners the greatest of non-Olympic sports."

The NFL staged its first regular-season game outside the United States in 2005 when 103,467 fans watched the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.

London hosted several NFL "American Bowl" preseason games in the 1990s. The city also had a franchise, the London Monarchs, in the World Football League -- now called NFL Europe -- but the team folded.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

I doubt we would get tapped again especially since we had 8 sellouts. Using the poor home attendance calculator, Buffalo, Jacksonville and Oakland would be three most likely to lose a home game. One major issue is game time and the time difference so I would doubt you would see any Pacific time zone teams.

 

[Mulli]

I think Stan Gelbaugh played for the Monarchs.

 

[Duckjake]

The NFL staged its first regular-season game outside the United States in 2005 when 103,467 fans watched the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.

The Cards also played in the first pre-season game outside North America at Tokyo in 1976.

 

[BigRedRage]

I love the fact that a major game in NFL history was the cardinals stompbin on san francisco in one hell of an exciting game.

I think our guys play better on the big stage.

 

[English on tour]

great news

it will Miami (at home) against Giants! (or so i here)

i will be trying to get tix for this for sure, my mate follows the Gnats so could be cool!

anyone fancy a trip to England - i'll buy you a beer

 

[RonF]

Get ready all you UK football fans

NFL Notebook: NFL goes on road to London ... for real
Wednesday, January 17, 2007

The Associated Press


London will hold the NFL's first regular-season game outside North America this year, the start of a campaign to take American football to a global audience.
The opponents have yet to be announced, but the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants are believed to be front-runners for the game. The Dolphins, but not the Giants, are one six NFL teams the league identified as potential home teams; they would give up a home game in Miami to host the contest in London.

"They are two of the teams that have expressed an interest and we'll narrow it down to which two teams will generate the most enthusiasm for the fans in London and the broader U.K.," commissioner Roger Goodell said.

The most likely venue is the new 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium, which will open this spring after years of delays. The other candidate is 82,000-seat Twickenham, home of English rugby.

The game will be held between late September and mid-October.

Goodell will announce the teams, venue and date before the Feb. 4 Super Bowl in Miami.


Chargers
Yesterday came and went -- two days after San Diego lost to New England in the AFC playoffs -- and Marty Schottenheimer was still employed as coach of the team. This had to be a shock to those who figured the coach would be fired after his team's latest playoff flameout. While general manager A. J. Smith and team president Dean Spanos kept a low profile, players were willing to speak up for Schottenheimer.

"He's totally changed not only the perception of the franchise but the mind-set of the players," NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson said. "... There comes a time when players have got to get a coach over the hump. A lot of the things we did as a team [against New England], Marty didn't have any control over it."


Cardinals
Ken Whisenhunt was formally introduced as the team's new coach in Tempe, Ariz. He was welcomed by a franchise that has had just one winning season in 19 years in the desert including 5-11 this past season. Needless to say, reporters wanted to know if Whisenhunt was aware how bad things had been. "You recognize that, but I don't think you live in the past," said Whisenhunt.

 

[RonF]

I know it's not the Cards but it is the NFL style of play that you only get to see on the telly.

 

[English on tour]

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=84683

 

[General Chaos]

Its funny that the Cards were the only team that would give up a home game to play in Mexico, and now that seems to be a non-issue

 

[CardLogic]

Its funny that the Cards were the only team that would give up a home game to play in Mexico, and now that seems to be a non-issue

It was clearly stated by the NFL offices, when the Cardinals agreed to playing a "home" game in Mexico, that the game in Mexico City was just the first game in a long range plan to expand interest in the NFL by occasionally playing regular season games in foreign countries. The current articles related to the game in London also mention future plans by the NFL to host games in possibly Canada and Germany.

So you could say Bill Bidwill was a visionary!

 

[DeAnna]

great news

it will Miami (at home) against Giants! (or so i here)

i will be trying to get tix for this for sure, my mate follows the Gnats so could be cool!

anyone fancy a trip to England - i'll buy you a beer

WooHoo!!! I am so there....provided I can get a cheap airfare (and tix to the game itself!)

 

[Duckjake]

It was clearly stated by the NFL offices, when the Cardinals agreed to playing a "home" game in Mexico, that the game in Mexico City was just the first game in a long range plan to expand interest in the NFL by occasionally playing regular season games in foreign countries. The current articles related to the game in London also mention future plans by the NFL to host games in possibly Canada and Germany.

So you could say Bill Bidwill was a visionary!

I would want my team's bye week to follow the game in London to help the guys get over the jet lag. Not that they couldn't play the following Sunday but you want any edge you can get.

 

[CardLogic]

I would want my team's bye week to follow the game in London to help the guys get over the jet lag. Not that they couldn't play the following Sunday but you want any edge you can get.

An East Coast team playing in London would be no different (time and jet-lag wise) than a West Coast team playing a game on the East Coast.

 

[Duckjake]

An East Coast team playing in London would be no different (time and jet-lag wise) than a West Coast team playing a game on the East Coast.

And you don't think the East Coast team and the team playing the West Coast team the following week has an advantage?

Maybe you should ask some of the players from the Arizona teams that played in the NFC East.

 

[CardLogic]

And you don't think the East Coast team and the team playing the West Coast team the following week has an advantage?

Maybe you should ask some of the players from the Arizona teams that played in the NFC East.

You're correct, it's a definite advantage to not be the team doing distance travel. My point being that travel for an East coast team to London about the same as travel to the East coast from the West. Of course, for one of the teams, there is also the factor of giving up a home game...

Personally, I am not in favor of games in foreign countries... but nobody asked me! It's going to continue like it or not.