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London-based NFL team 'worth £102m to UK economy'

Sunday's Detroit Lions v Atlanta Falcons showdown was the latest in Wembley's NFL International Series © Getty Images

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A full-time London-based NFL franchise could be worth £102 million a year to the UK economy, according to a study published on Wednesday.

£102m broken down

• £68m from spectator spending

  £24m from the teams

  £5m from NFL Operations

  £4m from sponsors

  £1m from media

Wembley Stadium has hosted the NFL's International Series since 2007, with last week's match between the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions the second of three games in London this year and 10th overall.

Accountancy firm Deloitte revealed that the two games last year - between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars - boosted the UK economy to the tune of £32m.

That number will rise to £58m if, as expected, the International Series is expanded to four games a season from next year. If a full-time London-based team were to be created, it would mean eight games played at Wembley across the current 17-week season.

Numbers game

• 82,677 - Average attendance of 10 NFL games held at Wembley to date
• 167,000 - Total spectators for two-game International Series in 2013
• 334,000 - Estimated total spectators for four-game International Series in 2016
• 600,000 - Estimated total spectators for a London-based NFL franchise

The report was launched by Sajid Javid, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, who said: "The NFL games at Wembley have been a huge success showing that there is a big, growing fan-base for the sport in the UK.

"If the NFL decides that the time is right to base a team overseas, London and the UK will welcome it with open arms."

The report, though, questioned the economic impact of holding the Super Bowl at Wembley.

Referring to previous studies which have put the figure at around £248million, it said a London-based Super Bowl might be worth "significantly lower".

It highlighted "consideration of the UK market's ability to maximise the commercial impact of the Super Bowl, logistical issues such as kick-off time and additional costs compared with a US-hosted Super Bowl, and the potential reaction from the core NFL market in the US".

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The third and final game of this year's International Series will take place on November 9 when the Jaguars take on the Dallas Cowboys, who will become the 17th of the 32 NFL teams to have played at least one regular season game at Wembley.

The UK government is in full support of a London NFL franchise, with chancellor George Osborne last week saying they will "do whatever they can to make this happen".

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd