The London Jaguars? Might have a nice ring to it but for the next five years the NFL will stick with Jacksonville. For the past two seasons, the Jaguars have been selected to represent the NFL in London, England. While the plan has always been to expand the NFL interest in England, the people in London have embraced the Jag’s as one of their own.
The original plan was to have the Jaguars play one regular season game overseas until 2016, but now the plan has been extended to 2020!
Jaguars President Mark Lamping said Saturday morning that “The model’s working, and that’s why we were so thrilled to be able to continue it into the future.”
When comparing a booming franchise like the Dallas Cowboy or the New England Patriots, to Jacksonville its far in between. In order to keep with those teams financially, a team like the Jaguars had to step outside the box. Lamping stated, “We actually generate more in London today playing nine games than we did three years ago by playing all of our entire season in Jacksonville. We’re much stronger financially, and if we’re strong financially, that means we’re on the path to being stable in Jacksonville. It has served us very well.”
With the new deal the Jaguars are set to play two regular season games each season until 2020, with an option to extend the contract to 2025.
A new stadium under development in London could further strengthen the NFL’s partnership with the UK; allowing for more games to be played during London’s busy sports season. The plan woulbe be to give NFL teams the option to play back to back weekends in London, playing once as a home team and the other as an away game.
The next move would be bringing an NFL Franchise to the UK, and the NFL’s head of global expansion Mark Waller is all for it. Waller said, “As you know that’s a decision which rests with the 32 owners and it’s definitely something that takes a lot of consideration. But our commitment has always been to make sure we have a fan base here to support a team so when the ownership is ready to take that decision the fans and the stadiums will be ready. We’re in good shape, though. The fact that we can sell out three games in the middle of the Rugby World Cup and with a fascinating and intense Premier League season going on is a testament to that.”
The ball is rolling to have the NFL as a sports staple throughout the world. With soccer, basketball, and baseball already having a strong following across the globe, football is making a huge push and it all starts with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars are set to take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, October 24th at 8:30am CST at Wembley Stadium.
