Tottenham in talks with the NFL to host American Football in new stadium

[LSUY]

Cricket and rugby are pretty popular in London, no?

Exactly. Saracens and Harlequin's had the second and third highest average attendances in rugby last season and both Surrey and Middlesex are drawing in large crowds for their T20 matches.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Do we have to do it though? I'm mean, if the NFL had no interest in setting up a franchise (vom) in London, would we have not laid foundations down? Is there not the vaguest chance we could build a new stadium and not having to do a deal with anyone?

Either way, I think the new stadiums effect on our results on the pitch are perhaps being over stated. Those over clubs dick all over us in dozens of other revenue streams that the new stadium won't solve.

As I said the new stadium won't do it on it's own (although it at least gives us the chance to be on a par with Arsenal and Liverpool financially) and possibly nothing other than an oil sheikh will put us at the top.

But if on top of the new stadium we also get some additional financial benefit from the NFL deal, then that can only help us to compete with the mega-rich.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Exactly. Saracens and Harlequin's had the second and third highest average attendances in rugby last season and both Surrey and Middlesex are drawing in large crowds for their T20 matches.

Nowhere near the sustainable and consistent numbers that football has and that American Football has the potential for.

I'm a Quins fan and week in week out they draw less than 13,000 to the Stoop. The London derbies are big games, but only because of the low prices and the chance to go to Wembley/Twickenham.

 

[sundanceyid10]

Big for the American market, far more Americans will become ware of Spurs and bigger potential fanbase. The NFL is bloody huge.

 

[Spurger King]

It probably has big implications for the stadium naming rights.

 

[newbie]

They'll probably cover it up with something more American, like a hamburger.

Or rename it the Doritos depo.

 

[jackson]

Because London, a city with a bigger population than 39 of the 50 US states, is only capable of supporting one sport? American football is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, in fact it's one of the few sports in the UK where participation in recent years has gone up.

Attendances will remain high because a London franchise would draw spectators from across the UK and Europe solely because it's cheaper to travel to London than it is to the States. Plus, London's corporate sector will attract the NFL. As the NFL's Vice President of Sponsorship and Media Sales says, "the corporte sector has been funfamental to the success of the NFL in the US". The London games have allowed the NFL to create two separate groups of sponsorship deals. The first London game had seven corporate sponsors, last year it had twenty one. The simple fact is London is going to generate more commercial interest than Mexico City. But most of all London gives the NFL an extra TV slot. A London franchise means that eight Sundays a year the NFL can air nationally four games in the US, six games a week in the UK and has a live broadcast it can market to the Middle and Far East.

Yes London is a gamble but the NFL knows that, hence why it's taking its time with its expansion. The NFL wouldn't be putting so much effort into the London games if Mexico City was the future.

But if you want to keep believing Omaha and Oklahoma would be more lucrative than London then keep believing what you want.

I agree, I went to all three NFL games at Wembley last year - there were a lot of people from all over Europe at all three games. I guess this 'London team' could quite easily become 'Europe's team' and gain a supporter base that way - most of the fans at the game were just NFL fans and not there to see the team they support but came to see competitive NFL without the trip to the US.

Plenty of Americans came over to follow their teams as well, surprisingly a lot of them made the trip.

 

[SandroClegane]

It probably has big implications for the stadium naming rights.

This is the biggest thing. We just doubled our asking price just by getting the NFL linked.

 

[IGSpur]

Sometimes the road is long and hard but it's the right road to take.

I read that in a fortune cookie, I think.

I don't think this is by anyway selling our sold and this is doing it the long and hard way. We are being astute and finding ways of competing with the top clubs without just getting a rich benefactor to come in and fund us. I think this is an admirable way to do it.

I agree, I went to all three NFL games at Wembley last year - there were a lot of people from all over Europe at all three games. I guess this 'London team' could quite easily become 'Europe's team' and gain a supporter base that way - most of the fans at the game were just NFL fans and not there to see the team they support but came to see competitive NFL without the trip to the US.

Plenty of Americans came over to follow their teams as well, surprisingly a lot of them made the trip.

I hadn't even considered this. It would really be sustainable and increase our reputation no bounds. Even NFL fans in Europe who don't like football will know and maybe like our club as it will be the place to go for them to catch a glimpse of the sport they love.

I'd feel quite proud if we were the spot to come to in Europe for NFL fans. Help attract neutral supporters

 

[dovahkiin]

might as well post this here as well, 2 itks now saying the sme thing about tomorrow
hertyid:
"big spurs news for you tomorrow"

me - which team are going to be based in london?

"no team based in london"

me - how many games

"not many, pitch will be fine"

"can't say any more, you will find out tomorrow"

 

[stewartd]

It will effect the football. It will mean bigger sponsership deals, more money coming in, but better players, have a better football team

OMG that's awful. That will mean we will have the finances to compete with the big four, no more excuses for mediocrity , don't know if I could stand being shaken out of our none achievement comfort zone and actually having a chance of winning things. I'm too old to stand all the added excitement that this will bring.
So please don't do the deal as it will without doubt shorten my life expectancy...............but what a way to go COYS

 

[kaz Hirai]

It probably has big implications for the stadium naming rights.

Tropicana memorial mega dome, I like it!

 

[philip]

Or like how they literally form the game around commercials? "Hey let's stop the game completely so people sitting on there couch can stare at commercials for a bit" NFL, NBA, NHL, mlb, ncaa...all have TV timeouts, what the fuck is a TV timeout? Who ever approved that idea, stopping a game for TV, thus throwing the entire natural direction of the game another way. Only in america does it take 3 hours to watch a 60 minute game (nfl), and of this 60 minutes, the ball is in play 11-17 minutes, otherwise your watching cheerleaders, replays, commercials, sideline reporters, replays, commercials, broadcasters booth, commercials, and replays..garbage, pure and utter garbage

What about cricket. in a 5 day test match, I doubt the ball is in play longer than a couple of hours.

 

[Scott Spur]

Am English, live in London but have been a 49'ers fan for 25 years now and seen them at Candlestick......would love to have the NFL at The Lane

 

[gilzeantheking]

The Telegraph have picked this up now

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...ball-matches-at-new-61000-seater-stadium.html

 

[tototoner]

Can we call the NFL team Tottenham Hotspurs

 

[waresy]

So how does a retractable grass pitch work? At least the NFL won't be ruining the main pitch but it makes you wonder whether the surface will ever be as good as WHL

http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/club-and-nfl-announcement-080715/

 

[Kempus]

This NFL deal is an absolute game changer for the club. It may only be hosting a couple of games per season, but the added advertising and marketability of the club will increase exponentially. As has already been mentioned, the price for naming rights has literally skyrocketed with this deal. The fact I'm a fairly big NFL fan makes this even sweeter. Superb news.

 

[rsmith]

In yer face, Levy bashers!!!

• 61k capacity
• Largest single tier stand in the UK
• Income, prestige and marketing pull through of the NFL connection
• Doubled the value of the naming rights
• Increased social utility for Tottenham residents
• Her http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03152/nfl-spurs_3152966b.jpg

Any fan who isn't proud and grateful for what our chairman is doing for this club needs to up his meds.

 

[hoodlum]

I also hate that to be a pro athlete you've got to get .. Like .. You know, get educated & that

What a stoopid idea

Not exactly correct.

- MLB permits kids to go straight from high school to the pros, but typically the kids go into to a teams minor league system to develop.
- NFL does not anymore due to two primary reasons. One, their unofficial partnership with the NCAA and, two, 17, 18, 19 year old kids would literally die without the physical maturity and weight training they gain in college.
- NBA used to allow high school kids to go straight to the pros, but their unofficial partnership with the NCAA, as well as the general immaturity level of high school kids earning millions, made them switch to a minimum requirement of 1-year removed from their high school graduating class. Most go to college, some go overseas.
- NHL allows immediate entry, but the kids typically go through a minor league system to adapt/mature/wait their turn for the pros.

I know you may have been joking and actually saying that it's a good idea to educate before being handed millions, but I thought this would be a good place to put this out there regardless.