NFL London franchise a long way away says Super Bowl great Torry Holt
Super Bowl or Pro Bowl a more likely option
Monday 9 January 2017 19:03, UK
Super Bowl winner Torry Holt has told Sky Sports he believes the logistics involved will make a London franchise difficult for the NFL.
Holt, part of the St Louis Rams team known as the 'Greatest Show on Turf' that reached two Super Bowls in three years and won Super Bowl XXXIV, has been in London ahead of Sunday's showdown and earlier this week admitted that he felt the chances of a Super Bowl coming to the capital were more realistic than bringing a permanent team.
Given the huge success of the International Series games in London, there has been plenty of talk about a team from Britain competing on a regular basis with a franchise based on these shores.
The popularity is not in doubt but travel, training, road trips and family upheaval are all issues that would have to be addressed, and as a recent player Holt says those who would represent the franchise would be all-important in any decision.
"I think the players would have something to say about that [London franchise] - they enjoy travelling here, spending time here but to move to a team and a franchise here is different," Holt told Sky Sports.
"You have to think about the health of the players and the travel. Relocating families, all those things have to be taken into consideration. I am sure the league would and I know the people in London and the commissioner would try to make it as comfortable as possible, but it would have to go through the NFL PA (Players Association).
"It is a long way ahead of us. The three or four games that are played here are suffice enough - the guys enjoy that. They know they come for a few days and will go back home."
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After Holt's rather surprising admission that the Pro Bowl or even the Stateside spectacular that is Super Bowl Sunday could be played in London, we asked him to expand on his thoughts from earlier in the week.
"A Pro Bowl or Super Bowl is more realistic than an actual team," Holt added.
"When I think about a team, I think about travel that's involved. Will the guys being up for moving to and living in London? London's a great place. I can see myself living here but I couldn't speak for all the other guys.
"I can foresee a Po Bowl or Super Bowl and it would sell out in minutes. People in the States may have an issue with it but it is pretty easy to travel. I think with all the fans and the way they enjoy the game, it could be likely.
"The Pro Bowl was played in Arizona last year and back to Hawaii this year so they are looking at different sites, different locations and different things to do. A new energy and all that good stuff."
Friday night saw the announcement of a Monday Night Football game in Mexico - with three International Series games also set for London. An agreement is in place with Tottenham and their new stadium as the game continues to grow and Holt admits the sky is the limit for the NFL with its competitive nature part of the appeal.
"It can go as far as the league wants to take it. Everybody has a genuine interest in the NFL now. It's a huge game, a fun game and a tactical game," said Holt.
"There is a lot of parity in our league and everybody can feel like there team has a chance to win the Super Bowl each year. There is a huge fan base in Mexico - it's a Monday Night game which is a prime time game - that's huge and speaks volumes about how the people in Mexico view the game. And speaks volumes about Roger Goodell and the owners and what they are doing and where they are taking our game.
"We have 3 games in London, and in minutes they sold out. That's awesome. When I got the call to come over here and talk about the Super Bowl, I wanted to do it. The fans know the game, they appreciate the game. They know the players and it makes it easy to come over here and talk football."
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