NFL has Big Plans for London England

With news surfacing that the NFL Super Bowl may be moved to London within the next years, the league is also taking steps to build up the popularity of the sport in England this year. Last year fans packed Wembley Stadium to see the New Orleans Saints defeat the Chargers of San Diego by a score of 37 to 32. The first regular season game was held in the country back in 2007 when the New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins 13-10.

Both of those previous games were almost instant sellouts and a huge success, not only for the NFL, but for fans of the game in England and the owners of Wembley Stadium. A lot of the decision on moving the Super Bowl depends on the popularity that the sport has within England and whether or not it will be worthwhile to move the game out of the continental US. This season there is already one regular season game scheduled to take place in London. The game will be between the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will take place on the 25^th of October. Fans from across the country quickly bought out tickets for the game and it was sold out in a very small matter of time.

While you would think that three sellouts would be more than enough to deem how popular the NFL is in England, team owners want to try and add a second regular season game for the 2010 season. If both games sell out as quickly as this years then there will be no doubt that the game is supported and that a super bowl in the country could be a resounding success. The success of two games within one season will play a major role in the final decision for the 2014 Super Bowl game.

While team owners and English fans are excited about the prospect of having two regular season games, players do not back the idea nearly as much. Players and coaches on the New Orleans Saints were very critical of the field conditions and Wembley Stadium and a whole host of other players are concerned about the effect of overseas travel mid season. Can the greatest show on earth, the Super Bowl, really be held on a field that does not offer the best and safest field conditions? And how will two overseas games in one season affect the ability for the players to perform at their best? Of course in past seasons teams have been given a bye week after playing in London, but we all know that routines are important for teams and players. A mid season game overseas can really affect the players routines and it remains to be seen whether the players association will approve either of these potential scheduling changes.