NFL London: Tottenham extends two-game agreement through to 2029
- Published
Jacksonville Jaguars beat Miami Dolphins 23-20 in thriller
NFL 2023 regular season |
|---|
Dates: 7 September 2023 - 7 January 2024 |
BBC coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website every Sunday. |
The NFL has extended its deal to play a minimum of two regular season games each year at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to cover the 2029 season.
An initial 10-year partnership was agreed in 2015 and was due to run from 2019 to 2028.
Opened in 2019, the north London venue is the first purpose-built American football stadium outside the US.
Since its first NFL game in October 2019, it has staged two per year, apart from in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
"Our partnership with the NFL has been integral to our wider vision for the stadium and delivering a sports and entertainment destination in London," said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
"Creating additional recurring sources of revenue to reinvest in our football activities is a key part of the club's financial model."
So far six NFL games have been played at Tottenham, involving 12 of the league's 32 teams, with the record attendance being 61,024 to see the New York Giants beat the Green Bay Packers in the most recent clash last October.
The latest agreement also includes Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being given official status as the home of the NFL in the UK.
NFL London: How the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium transforms for American Football
"Growing the game globally is a major strategic priority for the league," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. "Our commitment to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will allow us to continue to bring extraordinary NFL experiences to fans in London, while creating a positive social and economic impact on the local community."
This year's Tottenham games are Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills (8 October) and Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans (15 October), with the London series kicking off on 1 October as the Atlanta Falcons play Jacksonville at Wembley.
NFL looks to continue development of international players
Tottenham will host another game during this year's London series. The NFL Academy has had try-outs and training at the multi-use stadium but, for the first time, will play a game there on 10 October - against Erasmus Hall, a US high school from Brooklyn.
Now based in Loughborough, the academy allows student-athletes aged 16 to 19 to combine their education with intensive American football training and a life skills programme.
So far more than 20 overseas players have gone on to accept football scholarships at US colleges, hoping to later be selected in the NFL draft, with more set to follow in 2024.
This week the NFL also announced that, from 2024, all 32 franchises will be granted an extra spot on their practice squad for international players.
Since 2017, teams in select divisions have been allocated a player to the practice squad as part of the NFL's international player pathway (IPP) programme but, from 2024, each NFL team can choose an IPP player or an international player they have scouted independently.
Currently, five former IPP players have earned spots on active NFL rosters - Efe Obada, Sammis Reyes, David Bada (all Washington Commanders), Jordan Mailata (Philadelphia Eagles) and Jakob Johnson (Las Vegas Raiders).