NFL comes to London

10:36am Tuesday 16th January 2007

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WEMBLEY or Twickenham will host the first ever NFL game to be played outside North America.

London edged out Berlin, Mexico City and Toronto to host the event.

The full 60-minute game will be contested by two official NFL teams, and will carry points as part of the regular season.

Although teams will be only be confirmed in February, The Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants are expected to play in what will be a showcase for American football.

"There is no better place to begin this initiative than London," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"It is one of the great cities of the world with an established and growing fan base for our game.

"We are thrilled to bring the excitement of the NFL regular season to the United Kingdom."

London mayor Ken Livingstone personally visited the commissioner to help bring the game to the capital.

After winning the right to host the Olympics, it was now time to "bring London the greatest of non-Olympic sports," he said.

The mayor hopes the event will boost tourism to London after a slump in the number of American visitors since 9/11.

He said: "This is a huge event for London. About half of the American people will watch the game."

"Having the most popular sport in America broadcast live from London will give us an amazing opportunity to make a bid to bring Americans over here.

The mayor expects over 10,000 foreigners to travel to London to see the event live.

The NFL hopes the game will boost the sport's popularity in the country and is talking to British universities in a bid to develop new players.

Managing Director of NFL UK, Allistair Kirkwood, said: "We have as our vision to become a top five sport in the UK, behind football, cricket & rugby. I am confident we can achieve that."

The NFL is set to stage two games outside the US every year for the next five years. London may host another game in 2009 or 2011.

The NFL played its first game off American soil in 2005, when 103,467 people saw the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City, smashing the league's previous attendance record.