Fantastic news for European fans of American football has emerged from an NFL club meeting in New York today, as a vote to extend the ability to play NFL regular season games internationally was extended through to 2025, while also broadening the agreement to allow games in other countries.
While no countries were named, it is believed that the NFL are eager to host regular season games in countries around Europe, as well as Mexico and Japan.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has this to say on the matter:
This marks an important step in our long-term international growth. Fans in the UK have responded incredibly well to the regular-season games we have played in London since 2007. They have demanded more NFL games, and we have worked to accommodate them. We think it’s time to expand our International Series to other countries and respond to the growing interest in our game not only in the UK, but elsewhere around the world.
Hopefully the NFL notices the large numbers of Irish fans who are travelling over to the games in London every year, and can agree a deal to bring the NFL to either the Aviva Stadium or Croke Park.
Both stadiums have hosted college football games in recent years, and will continue to do so, but you would have to imagine that interest in an actual NFL regular season game would be far greater and result in even higher attendance rates.
And if that's not enough, Ireland are one of the few countries that you can relocate a team to on Madden, so LETS GO DUBLIN JAGUARS!*
*we may be getting ahead of ourselves a bit.
via NFLUK.com
