The NFL has now played 45 games in London, after three this year, and its impact on American football’s popularity in the capital cannot be overstated.
However, a late discount for tickets to see the Indianapolis Colts against the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium drew criticism from fans who had bought more expensive tickets and also raised questions of American football’s appeal in London.
But, while the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 34-31 defeat to the Houston Texans saw empty seats in the upper tier of Wembley, there were still over 82,000 people in attendance and the Jaguars game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham sold out almost instantly.
Bucs UK, the country’s longest running NFL fan base following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, exemplifies the NFL’s growth in London.
Organisation chair, Kieron Hyams, said: “What is really nice is London has been cemented as the unofficial home of the NFL outside of the United States and the people at NFL UK are doing a fantastic job of promoting the sport and promoting the game.
“Ultimately, like everything in the sport these days, (the NFL) is a business, but I feel like it’s a business that’s doing its best to try and adapt and grow into a market which is really hungry for as much of the product it can get.”
Formed originally in 1984 with just six members, Bucs UK has evolved into a group that is endorsed by the official NFL team.
Hyams added: “We’re able to get people tickets for games and we’re able to get people on the field after a game, so a chance to stand on the hallowed turf of Raymond James Stadium.”
There are also a plethora of London American football teams that play across a range of levels and age groups.
The London Warriors are a semi-professional side who recently played their first season in the American Football League Europe (AFLE) in which they made the playoffs.
General manager Simon Buckett has been with the team since 2007 when he started as a player.
On the team’s growth, he said: “Instead of a team of 60 or 70 people we’re now an organisation of nearly 300, I think, with players and volunteers across the board.
“The mentality we had in 2007 is still there. Get one per cent better every time you do something. It’s a team mentality.
“Nobody is bigger than the team and that goes through the whole organisation.
“The NFL definitely helps. It can’t not help. The difficulty is translating those who really like the NFL into then supporting your local team.
“In the same way of, did the Americans really like soccer or did they just like the World Cup? There’s the kind of uphill battle we face.”
Discussing other formats of the sport, Buckett added: “Flag football is a great starting point for that kind of grassroots football.
“Then when you get into it there’s some great teams around London. You look at us, our under 16s team are really up and coming.
“The (South London) Renegades always do a good job of developing talent, they are a youth based team so their grassroots are really good.”
The women’s game is also growing and flag football’s rise has conincided with it being an Olympic sport in LA 2028.
Gary Owens, vice chair of the Kent Exiles, said: “We have a team that competes at every level that BAFA have.
“Whether that be flag or contact, men’s, women’s, mixed, we have a team for everyone of every age group, every ability.
“The women’s side particularly is growing and growing and they have different age groups now and they have different variations.
“5v5, 7v7, 9v9, so however you want to get into it, however competitive you want to be in women’s football there’s a place to be able to do that.
“One big thing that we’re hoping for flag particularly will be the upcoming Olympics in LA.
“I think with flag football being an Olympic event, we will see that side of the game grow even more.”
The NFL is approaching its 20 year anniversary in London next year and there is no doubt it has revolutionised the sport of American football in the city and the wider country as a whole, even if expensive ticket prices caused a stagnation in sales this year.
And if you combine the NFL’s success in London with the introduction of flag football to the Olympics, American football’s potential in this city is endless.
Featured Image credit: Tom Henigan
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