Brits to get taste of NFL

[Liam]

Well, trb had a point, Drags. To be honest, it hasn't caught on to any great level here, especially considering you can only watch it on either niche channels (like Sky Sports, which not everyone has) or late night (Channel 5), which curbs the potential somewhat. And it still isn't back to its heights of when UK used to actually have a team or two on the NFL Europe and used to run programmes on Channel 4 back in the early 90's (in the public eye at least....obviously, there is probably a greater possiblity to follow it now that Sky and Channel 5 cover it).

I'm not saying that because I don't take bets on it, it doesn't have a large following in the UK, but in working 2 years at Corals, I only know two people who like the game, let alone bet on it. Add that to the fact that I don't know anyone outside of this board who watches the sport outside of possibly watching the Superbowl (from secondary school, to college, to Uni), it isn't as big as some people would suggest. It still falls well behind most of the other sports indicative of the UK.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Liam Byrne

[Guest muddatrucker]

I prefer films with American Football in, they get me in the mood to watch the real thing but then all of a sudden reality hits and I'm bored out of my skull.

[alldaws1]

I'm not saying that because I don't take bets on it, it doesn't have a large following in the UK, but in working 2 years at Corals, I only know two people who like the game, let alone bet on it. Add that to the fact that I don't know anyone outside of this board who watches the sport outside of possibly watching the Superbowl (from secondary school, to college, to Uni), it isn't as big as some people would suggest. It still falls well behind most of the other sports indicative of the UK.

Maybe that's just your area then. I know several people who watch it and follow it every year.

And to think that there's already been a huge demand for tickets for that one game and that number's not even going to be near the total amount of fans in the UK, it just shows there's a big following of the sport over here. Sure, maybe not as much as Rugby or Cricket but that's obvious - those sports are easier to follow over here.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Nitro Girl Spice

[Liam]

I've lived in London and Brighton, and have only met a few people who watch it. A 'few' and 'several' doesn't suggest that there has been that big a boom in the UK for the game (since if there was a boom, you'd think that more people would be into the game, for example), though NFL has made the biggest breakthrough of the US sports, for sure.

And using this game as an example of how big it is in the UK could be somewhat fool-hardy based on the fact that this is a ground-breaking match, something that hasn't happened before, and every one who has even a passing interest in NFL would be looking to get tickets, or who anyone who just wants to be part of something special. The interest might not be as big if it was a regular occurence, basically.

I'm not arguing that NFL doesn't have a following, as naturally it does, but it still doesn't have a relatively large one seemingly (which trb was suggesting), although Channel 5 and Sky Sports put a lot into it.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Liam Byrne

[alldaws1]

I've lived in London and Brighton, and have only met a few people who watch it. A 'few' and 'several' doesn't suggest that there has been that big a boom in the UK for the game (since if there was a boom, you'd think that more people would be into the game, for example), though NFL has made the biggest breakthrough of the US sports, for sure.

So, because you've only met a few people who watch it, that means it hasn't boomed in popularity? You only need to look at the media coverage to see it's increased a lot in popularity in the last couple of years compared to the mid-late 90s.

And using this game as an example of how big it is in the UK could be somewhat fool-hardy based on the fact that this is a ground-breaking match, something that hasn't happened before, and every one who has even a passing interest in NFL would be looking to get tickets, or who anyone who just wants to be part of something special. The interest might not be as big if it was a regular occurence, basically.

I'm not arguing that NFL doesn't have a following, as naturally it does, but it still doesn't have a relatively large one seemingly (which trb was suggesting), although Channel 5 and Sky Sports put a lot into it.

It's not just the amount of people interested in going to the game that shows how big the game is getting over here, though, it's the amount of popularity that meant London was even considered for a game. And as you said yourself this game is going to garner more interest in the sport so it may not be as big as football, rugby or even cricket over here at the moment but it could be in the next few years.

[Liam]

I've lived in London and Brighton, and have only met a few people who watch it. A 'few' and 'several' doesn't suggest that there has been that big a boom in the UK for the game (since if there was a boom, you'd think that more people would be into the game, for example), though NFL has made the biggest breakthrough of the US sports, for sure.

So, because you've only met a few people who watch it, that means it hasn't boomed in popularity? You only need to look at the media coverage to see it's increased a lot in popularity in the last couple of years compared to the mid-late 90s.

And using this game as an example of how big it is in the UK could be somewhat fool-hardy based on the fact that this is a ground-breaking match, something that hasn't happened before, and every one who has even a passing interest in NFL would be looking to get tickets, or who anyone who just wants to be part of something special. The interest might not be as big if it was a regular occurence, basically.

I'm not arguing that NFL doesn't have a following, as naturally it does, but it still doesn't have a relatively large one seemingly (which trb was suggesting), although Channel 5 and Sky Sports put a lot into it.

It's not just the amount of people interested in going to the game that shows how big the game is getting over here, though, it's the amount of popularity that meant London was even considered for a game. And as you said yourself this game is going to garner more interest in the sport so it may not be as big as football, rugby or even cricket over here at the moment but it could be in the next few years.

No, my point was that between the two of us, we know several people who like it. My argument is that that doesn't necessarily show that it is that big. It has gone up in popularity since the late 90's, sure, but it isn't as big as it used to be, as far as I'm aware. The fact I said about the amount of people liking it is because if it was that big, it would be more obvious, or you'd see more fans. When wrestling boomed, for example, the amount of people who never watched wrestling before who would be talking to me about it was astonishing. The fact that there doesn't seem to be as many NFL fans about is obviously what I would base most of my premise on...and that no-one seems to be overly interested in it over here until the Super Bowl (aside from the proper fans) is interesting. It is big, but not as big as some people suggested, that was my basic point.

I'm sure there may have been bigger reasonings behind London getting picked over other countries than how big the game is over here. I'd put money on it being bigger over in places such as Germany, so it probably wasn't as simple as who had the biggest base for the game. The fact that there may be a bigger potential market for NFL in the UK is probably the bigger initiative, if they do indeed crack it....but then everyone was saying how big rugby would be after the World Cup, or Cricket after winning the Ashes, and neither really took off anymore then where they already were.

It's semantics at the end of the day....we're just arguing over how big realistically the NFL is...I say it isn't as big as some people say it is, you say it is pretty big. Its much of a muchness, basically.

[lanky316]

It's probably in the middle, the fact that as soon as it was announced Wembley was essentially sold out (not litterally due to tickets not being out but 100k displaying an interest fills the stadium if they buy up) shows there is obviously a lot of demand. It's a long way shy of the other main sports over here but it's definately got a niche market. Maybe we will get lucky and get our team back for the Europe but only time will tell if it will work seriously over here.

[alldaws1]

I've lived in London and Brighton, and have only met a few people who watch it. A 'few' and 'several' doesn't suggest that there has been that big a boom in the UK for the game (since if there was a boom, you'd think that more people would be into the game, for example), though NFL has made the biggest breakthrough of the US sports, for sure.

So, because you've only met a few people who watch it, that means it hasn't boomed in popularity? You only need to look at the media coverage to see it's increased a lot in popularity in the last couple of years compared to the mid-late 90s.

And using this game as an example of how big it is in the UK could be somewhat fool-hardy based on the fact that this is a ground-breaking match, something that hasn't happened before, and every one who has even a passing interest in NFL would be looking to get tickets, or who anyone who just wants to be part of something special. The interest might not be as big if it was a regular occurence, basically.

I'm not arguing that NFL doesn't have a following, as naturally it does, but it still doesn't have a relatively large one seemingly (which trb was suggesting), although Channel 5 and Sky Sports put a lot into it.

It's not just the amount of people interested in going to the game that shows how big the game is getting over here, though, it's the amount of popularity that meant London was even considered for a game. And as you said yourself this game is going to garner more interest in the sport so it may not be as big as football, rugby or even cricket over here at the moment but it could be in the next few years.

No, my point was that between the two of us, we know several people who like it. My argument is that that doesn't necessarily show that it is that big. It has gone up in popularity since the late 90's, sure, but it isn't as big as it used to be, as far as I'm aware. The fact I said about the amount of people liking it is because if it was that big, it would be more obvious, or you'd see more fans. When wrestling boomed, for example, the amount of people who never watched wrestling before who would be talking to me about it was astonishing. The fact that there doesn't seem to be as many NFL fans about is obviously what I would base most of my premise on...and that no-one seems to be overly interested in it over here until the Super Bowl (aside from the proper fans) is interesting. It is big, but not as big as some people suggested, that was my basic point.

I'm sure there may have been bigger reasonings behind London getting picked over other countries than how big the game is over here. I'd put money on it being bigger over in places such as Germany, so it probably wasn't as simple as who had the biggest base for the game. The fact that there may be a bigger potential market for NFL in the UK is probably the bigger initiative, if they do indeed crack it....but then everyone was saying how big rugby would be after the World Cup, or Cricket after winning the Ashes, and neither really took off anymore then where they already were.

It's semantics at the end of the day....we're just arguing over how big realistically the NFL is...I say it isn't as big as some people say it is, you say it is pretty big. Its much of a muchness, basically.

Still, it sounds as if you're basing that off of what your personal experience is :\ It'd be like me saying nobody talks to me about rugby so it can't be that big. At Tesco where I work, I see someone wearing an NFL jersey at least once a week. Now, where I used to live I didn't see anywhere near that many so to me that screams the popularity of it is growing.

And yes, the game is more popular in Germany but they have nearly all the NFL Europe teams so they chose the next best country, which is the UK. Its fan base is big enough that the game will attract plenty of people but not big enough that it'd be pointless playing a game here as the market can't get any bigger. Sure, it may not be as popular as it was in the 80s but compared to recent years it's grown quite a lot.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Nitro Girl Spice

[therockbox]

Poor Wembley .

Poor Wembley? Poor New York and Miami!

Giving up a home game is huge, and I think playing in a whole different setting with whole different fans will distract and screw up the game for both teams, espically the Giants who need all the wins they can it.

[alldaws1]

Are you really trying to suggest that it has caught on, especially to the level that Sky have expected it to?

Do you work for Sky or something? How do we know what Sky expects? They push it a lot, yes, but that doesn't mean they expect it to be as big as football...

[therockbox]

I didn't say they did.

[alldaws1]

Some more news on the game from NFL.com:

NFL game in London attracting fan interest

LONDON (Feb. 7, 2007) -- The NFL's first regular-season game outside North America already looks like a big hit.

More than 500,000 tickets were requested by about 160,000 fans in the three days following the Feb. 2 official announcement, the NFL said.

The ticket request process ends Feb. 18, two months before tickets go on sale for the Oct. 28 game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium.

Wembley is expecting to seat between 85,000-90,000 for the game.

"Nearly all these requests have come from UK based fans," said Alistair Kirkwood, the managing director of NFL UK. "These figures do not take into account the allocation of tickets for Dolphins and Giants fans from the United States, so we anticipate a very quick sellout when tickets go on sale in early March."

On Sunday, more than 4,000 fans gathered in London to watch the Super Bowl at Super Bash, which is in its fourth year.

[Liam]

Ahh, bollocks. I know that I'll miss out, because I don't care enough to sit down at my comp the second the tickets are released, and they'll get sold out pretty quickly.

[Plubby]

Personally I don't care for watching football for 90 minutes but hey, I must be wrong right?

LOL

If you're comparing the relative boredom levels of football and NFL, then yes you are wrong, given that NFL games are 80 minutes of playing time wrapped in a four hour broadcast.

As opposed to a 90 minute game in a 2 hour broadcast.

[Cactus Drags]

Yeah, but stuff tends to happen on every play in the NFL, rather than watching 11 guys pass the ball between themselves in their own half because they're too scared to go for another goal to increase the lead, or scared to give possession up for fear of not being able to score again (I know this doesn't happen all the time). Timewasting at the corner flag isn't thrilling either. And neither is the constant bloody diving. Seriously, Brits tend to call American Footballers pussies, and call it inferior to a sport in which long haired girly Europeans fall over themselves and cry and complain to try and get the advantage, rahter than, y'know be a better team than their opponents. Not my idea of entertainment.

[Plubby]

The fact that NFL has segregated into "plays" so badly is why its so thoroughly unentertaining. You see one play, you see it seven more times while waiting for the next one to begin...It's like cricket except cricket games actually last that long.

Edited February 9, 2007 by Plub Daddy

[Lowerdeck]

For those of you not American, it's an acquired taste. Much like many Americans would find your football to be rather dull with the lack of scoring, lack of scoring opportunities, and plenty of just running around and kicking the ball around to each other.

However, some of us choose to get past all that and appreciate the game for what it is.

[Cactus Drags]

Well spoken LD, couldn't have put it better myself.

[NobBe Nobbs]

Some more news on the game from NFL.com:

NFL game in London attracting fan interest

LONDON (Feb. 7, 2007) -- The NFL's first regular-season game outside North America already looks like a big hit.

More than 500,000 tickets were requested by about 160,000 fans in the three days following the Feb. 2 official announcement, the NFL said.

The ticket request process ends Feb. 18, two months before tickets go on sale for the Oct. 28 game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium.

Wembley is expecting to seat between 85,000-90,000 for the game.

"Nearly all these requests have come from UK based fans," said Alistair Kirkwood, the managing director of NFL UK. "These figures do not take into account the allocation of tickets for Dolphins and Giants fans from the United States, so we anticipate a very quick sellout when tickets go on sale in early March."

On Sunday, more than 4,000 fans gathered in London to watch the Super Bowl at Super Bash, which is in its fourth year.

[Hellfire]

I'm glad that they are trying to branch out the NFL, but why the Dolphins and Giants? I mean come on, if you want to get fans to be excited about the NFL, why bring the Dolphins, who's starting QB will either be a gimpy Daunte Culpepper (who was AWFUL last season before going on IR I believe) or Joey Friggin' Harrington, or the Giants, who aren't really that bad, but could do better.

I took a quick look at the advanced schedules (no actual dates, but teams on it) and if it was my decision, I'd bring over the Saints and Colts. Two teams with high powered offense, both playoff teams and some of the most known players in the NFL, including the Super Bowl MVP Payton Manning. I mean both games are going to sell lots of tickets, but I think a really good game, at least on paper, will bring more people and get them interested in the NFL.