New Jaguars owner Shahid Khan doesn't just want to make his team an NFL force, he wants to put Jacksonville -- and his franchise -- on the international map.
In simple terms, Khan reiterated a stance recently that he elaborated when he took over the Jaguars in December.
"I’m in training to be Jacksonville’s No. 1 salesperson," Khan told a crowd of 1,000 at the JAXUSA Partnership luncheon on Friday in the city, according to The Florida Times-Union.
Khan, the owner of an Illinois-based international auto parts manufacturing company Flex-N-Gate, is fully on board with with Jacksonville's business leaders parlaying his global connections into more attention and jobs from international companies, and the newspaper said his ideas include flying a regional delegation to London if the Jaguars play a game in England. He also plans to host international executives in Jacksonville for football games so they can experience the city.
Jacksonville officials are all in on Khan’s goals, said Jerry Mallot, president of JAXUSA Partnership, the regional economic development division of the chamber of commerce.
"That is a great help because we constantly fight the battle of where is Jacksonville or who is Jacksonville when we’re in other countries, whether it’s Europe or Asia," Mallot told the newspaper.
Joining the NFL’s rotation of teams that play in London’s Wembley Stadium could be difficult. The NFL said last month that the St. Louis Rams will be one of the teams in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The New England Patriots will play them this year, leaving openings for one team in 2013 and 2014.
"To me, we have to try,” Khan told the newspaper. "We’re playing catch-up but we’re going to give it our best, and I’m optimistic."
The NFL has also considered scheduling more than one game each year abroad, which Khan supports.
Khan, born in Pakistan, bought the franchise for $760 million from original owner Wayne Weaver last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.