The NFL and EPL club Tottenham Hotspur have reached a 10-year stadium deal.
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The National Football League and Tottenham Hotspur have formally agreed to a 10-year deal that will move some of the NFL’s London games from Wembley Stadium to the EPL franchise’s new facilities when they open in 2018. The deal is being called, affectionately, “Touchdowns over Tottenham.”
According to the NFL’s press release, Tottenham’s new, state-of-the-art stadium will feature an artificial playing surface housed below natural grass. All NFL games will be played on the turf, while the EPL games will see the grass field. The NFL will play a minimum of two games per year at the new stadium, and can also use other venues around the United Kingdom – meaning that the league may still visit Wembley as well as other stadiums.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell offered the following statement in regards to the dovetailing of two of the world’s most recognizable leagues.
"“With growing enthusiasm for the NFL in the United Kingdom, we are committed to hosting NFL games in world-class venues and are excited to partner with Tottenham Hotspur to play games at their future stadium,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We share a vision and commitment to creating the best experience for our teams, fans and the local community.”"
London mayor Boris Johnson also expressed his enthusiasm for the project, claiming it is merely the next step in both the city’s economic renewal and its longterm goal of bringing a full-time franchise to the UK.
"“We are already working very closely with the NFL, including on plans to get more Londoners involved in the sport, and we believe that building on the success of NFL at Wembley by staging more games in an area of the city that has been earmarked for a massive program of economic regeneration and investment makes perfect sense.”“Touchdowns in Tottenham can only add to our reputation as a global sporting powerhouse, and help us take another step towards our goal of having a permanent NFL franchise here in London.”"
The NFL will play three games in London during the 2015 season – Jets/Dolphins on October 4; Bills/Jaguars on October 25; and Tigers/Chiefs on November 1.
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