NFL Managing Director, Alistair Kirkwood, announced during last nights AFC and NFC championship game coverage on Sky Sports that the NFL has come to an agreement with Wembley Stadium that gives the home of football exclusive rights to future NFL games. The agreement, combined with the news that the St.Louis Rams have committed to play three home games over a three-year period in London, is part of a "two-fold" plan by the league to bring continuity to the International series.
The announcement brings an end to the hopes of gridiron fans in Wales and Scotland of seeing a game in either the Millennium Stadium or Murrayfield, venues once rumoured to be in contention to hold a game. Twickenham is also ruled out, meaning that if two games are to take place in London we can brace ourselves for a litany of ex-players and football pundits blaming the NFL for ruining the Wembley pitch and causing England to lose in a friendly.
When contacted by Balls.ie and asked whether the Wembley agreement means no NFL game for the rest of Europe a spokesperson for NFL UK replied:
Wembley will be host to all NFL games played in the UK through the 2016 season.
What does this all mean for a Dublin game? Over the weekend there seemed to be positive noises coming out of Croke Park about a game next year. Croke Park Stadium Director, Peter McKenna, in an interview with thescore.ie was optimistic about the chances of an NFL game gracing the turf of Croker in 2013.
However, with London the main focus for the NFL combined with the feeling within NFL circles that the league would have liked to have played two games in Wembley this year, you have to wonder whether a Dublin game is a realistic possibility.
