Sky Sports' Cameron Hogwood speaks to NFL Head of Europe and UK Brett Gosper about the Jaguars' possible return to Wembley, the league's expansion into Germany, football's Olympic ambitions and the International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) Initiative.
Tuesday 8 February 2022 11:58, UK
The NFL is hopeful of a return to Wembley Stadium when the 2022 International Series touches down in London later this year, says the league's Head of Europe and UK Brett Gosper.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium played stage to the two UK games held in October as the Atlanta Falcons took on the New York Jets before the Miami Dolphins met the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 30th London contest since 2007.
It marked the resumption of the NFL's International Series after a year away in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, which brought to an end the Jaguars' run of playing a game at Wembley for seven straight seasons since 2013.
The league's commitment to hosting at least four international games per season from 2022 onwards means it is expected London could return to a three-game slate, with the national stadium back on the cards.
"I think that's a high probability," Gosper told Sky Sports. "The Jags are in final conversations with Wembley, we're hoping those outcomes are positive and we'd like to see both the Jags and Wembley back on the programme because I think, more inventory, and of course the Jags have built a fanbase here and Wembley has its own fanbase associated with the NFL so the duality of two stadia for us is very attractive."
The UK's value as an NFL hub was further amplified around the games in October when Commissioner Roger Goodell and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan appeared at Tottenham Community Sports Centre for the launch of the NFL Foundation UK, which aims to tackle inequality and lack of opportunities for 12-20-year-olds in the capital with a view to expanding around the country.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium also opened its doors to the NFL's International Combine, which saw 43 players from 13 countries compete in physical exercises for a spot on the International Player Pathway programme.
Here was the full-time relationship and permanent presence the league had been striving for and that will contribute towards the legacy of the International Series games as much as the on-field action itself.
"I think it shows what a critical part they (the games) are, they aren't decorative, they aren't nice to have, they're very much necessary for the full engagement of the very large fanbase we've got in the UK and soon hopefully in Germany and everything you can build around that," said Gosper.
"Whether it be during the week or during the year, the engagement with the community in north London throughout the year linked into our Foundation, then a Combine for the International Player Pathway at the stadium, there are all sorts of things you can build in terms of a permanent relationship with fans in the UK when you've got those games.
"I'd say the more the merrier, obviously there's a limit to the inventory we can manage and that is available to use in the UK. But certainly having two, likely three games minimum a year in the UK is just a fantastic focal point for the other activities."
It was also ruled last year that all 32 teams will play internationally at least once every eight years from 2022 onwards.
"That gives us great certainty, it's also a huge indication of the ambition and confidence that NFL ownership has for international."
The NFL's global expansion is primed to take another landmark stride in 2022 as it establishes its base in Germany.
Commissioner Goodell is due to announce on Wednesday which city out of Munich, Frankfurt or Dusseldorf has secured rights to host regular season games following a lengthy bidding process.
"I think it's an opportunity for fans to see more NFL in Europe that's reachable, that will provide another occasion to connect with the NFL but games that will probably have a different personality to games we have in London," Gosper added.
"Almost 10 per cent of the audience that comes into the stadium in London are German fans and it will probably work the other way as well. Just having that opportunity to travel somewhere else in Europe to see a game is fantastic.
"I think the International Series games are a little bit like the Autumn Series in rugby, that travelling across the border to see the Six Nations I think is a great thing for the NFL also to have here in Europe. I just think it's an exciting new occasion for fans to engage in a fun way with the sport and experience it. It will be a terrific experience with a whole new personality."
Germany offers one of the largest NFL TV audiences outside of the United States and has a rich footballing history having hosted five preseason games between 1990 and 1994 as well as being represented by the Hamburg Sea Devils, Fire, Berlin Thunder, Cologne Centurions and Galaxy in the former World League of American Football/NFL Europe/NFL Europa at various stages between 1991 and 2007.
Gosper is approaching the end of his first full season in his role as NFL Head of Europe and UK having officially stepped into the position at the beginning of 2021 after leaving his post as World Rugby CEO.
He cites the delivery of the International Series in a "condensed timeline" and mid-pandemic world among his leading achievements thus far, along with the launch of the NFL Germany office, hiring of NFL Germany general manager Alexander Steinforth and the UK's grassroots operation.
"I think working towards getting the NFL Academy to a better place is also in progress, we've launched the charitable NFL Foundation this year which is no mean task," Gosper continued.
"I think one of the discoveries I've had is the potential for flag football both as a developer of the community game and its linkage into gaining avid fans and new fans and the potential of that to be an Olympic sport is a discovery."
International Federation of American Football (IFAF) president Pierre Trochet recently admitted taking the sport to the Olympics was an 'ultimate goal', with vice president and USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck sign-posting the 2028 Los Angeles Games as a target.
Within his short spell in the job Gosper has also been involved in the launch of the International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) Initiative, which awarded 18 teams marketing access to 26 territories across eight different countries.
Among the six teams to gain rights in the UK were the Jaguars, Dolphins, Jets, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers. The initiative is designed to introduce fan engagement and commercialisation capable of growing a club's brand overseas with a view to potentially playing games in the respective countries further down the line.
Gosper believes it offers an opportunity to enhance awareness surrounding women's sport and to further increase the game's inclusivity.
"We're very aware of our high proportion of female fans that we have and on a participating route flag ambitions around the Olympics give us an opportunity to dial up that participation level both in flag in particular but also contact version of the game as well," he said.
"We're very conscious of that inclusion and diversity element to the sport and driving that wherever we're growing our fanbase."
IHMA teams were officially permitted to begin activating in their chosen territories from the beginning of January, early plans ranging from sponsorship and live events to player appearances and targeted social media.
"What's fantastic is grassroots development of the game at community level and maybe the ability of some of these teams to not just operate in London but operate across the country as well," said Gosper. "So it's huge potential for an increase in positive noise for the sport and positive engagement with new and existing fans."
Gosper expects "natural collaboration" with professional leagues such as the Premier League, from which Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan told Sky Sports the franchise was learning when it came to global expansion after securing rights in Germany.
"There is a bit of overlap with Premier League ownership so I think there will be opportunities for natural collaboration in those co-ownership areas," Gosper said.
"But even beyond that, I think there will be opportunities for teams who don't have that ownership connection to find ways to collaborate because Premier League teams are interested in their profile in the United States the same way we're interested in these clubs having a profile in the UK, there's very much mutual advantage to these collaborations and we encourage those.
The Chiefs hold a long-standing relationship with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich through their partnership with the Hunt family-owner FC Dallas in the MLS.
Stan Kroenke meanwhile owns both Arsenal and the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, who compete in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, the Glazer family own Manchester United and the 2021 Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the 49ers own a 44 per cent stake in Leeds United after initially investing in 10 per cent back in May 2018.
While the question of whether the 49ers could one day play at Elland Road is simple on the surface, the logistics make the answer anything but. But never say never.
"I'd say things like that, it's up to those clubs that are operating outside of the schedule to organise and lead the organisation of any games that might be supplementary and it's obviously not out of the question," added Gosper.
"They may wish to play in certain areas and so on but that would be part of a discussion. It's not an easy task simply putting on an NFL game, we've been doing it in the UK for a long time now and it's always challenging, there are a lot of moving parts.
"It's a very very big operation. But nothing is ever out of the question. That just depends on the desires of those clubs to come and play in the UK."
A move to Germany is high on the NFL's agenda over the next year in regards to its international expansion, with Gosper admitting "it's not as easy as it looks".
Nevertheless, the league remains committed to continuing to address its presence in the UK as well turning an eye towards elsewhere in Europe.
"There are a lot of things to make happen in order for that to land the right way (in Germany), but ensuring we have a strong presence in Germany, games in Germany and good collaborative partnerships with people involved in Germany to set us up for some great fan acquisition over a period of time in that market is probably the main priority outside of continuing to work on those areas we've already established in the UK and so on. That's probably the first base.
"There are also other markets we're seeking to increase our focus and presence on as well, such as France, Spain, the Nordics and so on, and some of the media rights in those markets will be coming into play in the coming 12 months as well.
"There's a lot on our play in that sense, but there's a lot to get on with in the United Kingdom in the meantime as well."
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