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Three problems with a London NFL franchise

Could Wembley's next tenant be an NFL team? The FA certainly hope so... © Getty Images

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Discussion of a London NFL franchise is once again filling the news. But, for once, all the talk is from this side of the pond as Wembley bosses make securing a contract with an NFL team their No.1 priority - a move that could see the England national football team back on the road again.

So what is the FA's motive? Money, it would appear. Millions are still being paid back for the national stadium and, with the current deal to play all England games at Wembley coming to an end in 2017, the FA needs viable options to a team that attracted a little more than 40,000 for last month's friendly with Norway and just 55,990 for Thursday's Euro 2016 qualifier with San Marino - the poorest attendance for a competitive England game since Wembley reopened.

One theory is the FA is trying to flush out a Tottenham or a Chelsea to move into Wembley. With Spurs missing out to West Ham on the Olympic Stadium, and Chelsea looking to redevelop Stamford Bridge, the FA could be snooping.

It is understandable that the FA is keen to have American tenants - each of the so-called International Series matches which began in 2007 and will see three visits in the current NFL season have been profitable to the tune of £3 million.

There are myriad personal and contractual hurdles to be overcome, too. Not to mention the cost of living in London compared to, say, Tennessee, and the prospect of living in a completely different country for your shot at the NFL: a bigger decision for many of the rank-and-file players that make up a 70-man NFL roster than some might imagine.

All of that aside, is the idea of having an NFL franchise in London a practical one?

The fans

The problem: How do you convince existing NFL fans to switch allegiance to a new London-based team?

The solution: You don't. Anyone who has been to any of the International Series matches held at Wembley will know that each was attended by NFL fans emblazoned in their favourite team's colours, from the red of the Arizona Cardinals to the white and blue of San Diego's Chargers. Most attend the matches because of their passion for the game - not who is playing. Embrace the passion.

The verdict: You can't force anyone to support a team but it is likely British and European fans will at first "adopt" a London NFL franchise as a second team, if you will. If it lasts long enough, the team will gain fans in their own right - but patience would be key.

The logistics

The problem: For the games currently held at Wembley, fans on the continent are shelling out on flights, hotels, transfers, food, drink, and so on. We're talking several hundred euros for each trip. And that's before we've got to the British fans. For those outside London, getting to the capital from, say, the south west, or the north, is not cheap. A train from Glasgow to London today is £129, while you could fly to Berlin and have change from £70.

The Wembley way

The Miami Dolphins won the latest match of the NFL's International Series © Getty Images

• 2007: 81,176 (Giants 13-10 Dolphins)

  2008: 83,226 (Chargers 32-37 Saints)

  2009: 84,254 (Patriots 35-7 Buccaneers)

  2010: 83,941 (Broncos 16-24 49ers)

  2011: 76,981 (Bears 24-18 Buccaneers)

  2012: 84,004 (Patriots 45-7 Rams)

  2013: 83,518 (Steelers 27-34 Vikings)

  2013: 83,559 (49ers 42-10 Jaguars)

  2014: 83,436 (Dolphins 38-14 Raiders)

• The average attendance of 82,677 has been beaten by just two NFL teams since the International Series began: The Washington Redskins from 2007 to 2010 and the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2013.

Money aside, an NFL season is 16 games long over a 17-week period. That's eight games at Wembley, and it's not only the fans that would have to put in the mileage, it's the players too.

Now, London is some distance from the US: 3,459 miles, in fact. Everyone - particularly finely-tuned athletic machines - need time to recover after a long flight, as well as adjusting to time zones.

While travelling from America's East Coast would provide minimal problems, travelling from the West Coast back to England would take two days out of an already hectic week. As Grantland's Bill Barnwell noted last year: "That's a competitive disadvantage for a team that already has plenty of competitive disadvantages."

The solution: If such a move were to happen, the NFL would have a huge scheduling problem. As it stands, the teams playing in the International Series have a rest week after their London trip, but to give a bye after every London game would require the season to be stretched by several weeks.

The Rugby Championship, competed between Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa, runs a system whereby teams will travel and play fixtures in blocks. For example, Argentina travel to play Australia and New Zealand in one go, with the return fixtures played a few weeks later.

So how would this work with the NFL and its time constraints? Well, the obvious solution would be to play in blocks of four matches, so the London team spend four weeks in London then four weeks in the States - and so on.

The verdict: This is by far and away the biggest problem faced by the NFL and any London franchisee. Logistically, it's a nuisance, but certainly doable.

The team

The problem: The immediate issue is that there is no team. But this is, after all, a sport where owners move franchises from city to city almost at will - just ask any fan of the Oakland / Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders.

The solution: It could be the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not only are they owned by Shahid Khan, the man who bought Fulham Football Club from Mohamed Al-Fayed, but they are also signed up to play one "home" game at Wembley for four seasons; one of which has already been played (they were whipped 42-10 by the San Francisco 49ers last year), with the second game scheduled for November 9 against the Dallas Cowboys. Games in 2015 and 2016 complete the four-year deal.

The Florida team are struggling to fill their EverBank Field stadium, with last year's average attendance hovering just above the 59,000 mark - a full 25,000 short of that attracted by the college rivalry between the University of Florida Gators and the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Moving to Wembley - and the prospect of playing in front of almost 90,000 fans each week - provides an easy win for Mr Khan.

The verdict: Of course, this means 60-odd thousand fans losing their team, but since when did the fans matter when there's money to be made? The obvious solution is to create a new franchise, but this would bring plenty of problems of its own and set back the FA's 2018 target by some distance.

The reality

There's certainly willingness on both sides of the Atlantic to make this happen and there a two targets: the FA's proposed 2018 or the more realistic 2022 set by the NFL.

Mark Waller, the new head of the NFL's international division, said in a recent interview: "When we started [the International Series in 2007], I reckoned it would take 15 years to do it. That was what I expected, and we're still on course. We're at the mid-point now."

The International Series proved that they can fill Wembley Stadium once a season, then twice a season, then three times in a season. It's a big jump to eight, but if the aforementioned problems can be solved efficiently then the sport we call American football will make a big stir on this side of the Atlantic - for the fans and the moneymen.

Now, what shall we name our new London team …?

The Jacksonville Jaguars were resoundingly beaten on their first of four "home games" at Wembley © Getty Images

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