Daniel Kaplan · @KaplanSportsBiz
8th Jul 2015 from TwitLonger
here is my piece this morning on NFL London news
The NFL inked a 10-year agreement with Tottenham Hotspurs FC to play two regular season games annually at the English Premier League club’s London stadium starting in 2018 when the venue opens. The parties are scheduled to announce the news today.
This does not mean the league is moving away from Wembley, where the league has staged regular season games since 2007, including three last year. The league fully expects to renew a deal with Wembley, whose contract with the NFL ends after next season, meaning the league would play games beginning in 2018 at both venues
“Wembley has been a great relationship for us,” said Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president, international.
The league has concerns about field wear and tear at Wembley, as did the Football Association, which owns the facility. Wembley hosts English national soccer games, and national team members have expressed criticism about the quality of the field in the wake of NFL games. Scheduling NFL games also is an issue at Wembley because of other special events like this year’s rugby World Cup.
At Tottenham, there will be two fields at the stadium, a permanent field for the NFL, and on top of that a soccer field that can slide out of the venue.
The new Tottenham deal gives the NFL more flexibility in deciding whether to move a team to London, or play a fuller slate of games with more teams, said Waller.