Skip to main content
Advertising

Around the League

Presented By

Roger Goodell plans to expand NFL presence in London

With both London games already sold out this season, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has visions of expanding the league's overseas schedule in the future.

Goodell revealed Tuesday at a New York University conference that the NFL is planning to add a third London game each year. In fact, Goodell told the New York Post's Bart Hubbuch that there's a chance the Jacksonville Jaguars will begin playing two games annually in London.

The league's goal is to eventually place an NFL team in London. Now that many English Premier League teams have upgraded their stadiums, football games can be played at other venues beyond Wembley Stadium. As London mayor Boris Johnson likes to point out, the $780 million stadium constructed for the 2012 Olympics does not have a permanent tenant.

Could we be watching the London Jaguars by the end of the decade? It's not out of the question, although the Jaguars might not be too excited about the idea.

Vito Stellino of The Florida Times-Union reported Tuesday that a Jaguars spokesman told him about London: "Our focus is on one game per year. We are committed to play there the next four years. That's all we're thinking about."

Other highlights from Goodell's appearance, per Hubbuch:

» The NFL will not return to Los Angeles until the "right stadium situation" develops. In the meantime, other teams can continue to wield the possibility of moving to Los Angeles as leverage for their own stadium deals.

» The NFL will be prepared for any weather contingency at Super Bowl XLVIII in New York/New Jersey. "I expect it to be cold, and we're going to embrace that," Goodell said, adding that fans will have access to "warming huts" and electric warming devices at their seats.

» The NFL welcomes a bigger presence from Jay-Z and his Roc Nation Sports agency "as long as he goes through the proper channels."

Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content