The Rise of NFL in the UK
It’s match day in October. The sun is shining, and fans are cheerfully spilling out of Seven Sisters tube station. Uncharacteristically chipper stewards direct the crowds towards Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a 30-minute walk away, while asking passing fans who they’d be supporting in today’s game.
An Enthralling Atmosphere
For a football-mad nation, the light-hearted mood is perhaps the first clue that fans are not here to see the borough’s beloved Spurs or, for that matter, football at all. The sea of colorful American jerseys brandishing names of sports stars from across the pond is another dead giveaway.
The Appeal of NFL in the UK
The draw for these fans is a sport for which popularity has rocketed so much in the UK that we are now regularly referred to as its “second home.” A sport that this February garnered 3.4 million views for one game alone, breaking UK viewing records for both Sky Sports and ITV. It is, of course, the NFL, America’s professional football league.
A Unique Experience at the Stadium
Some fans arriving at Seven Sisters last October were there for a fourth year in a row (not counting 2020 when the games were cancelled due to Covid) to watch the first of two NFL games to be played at the Spurs ground that month. Not only is it built as the Premier League team’s new base, but it is also the first and only stadium designed specifically for NFL games outside of North America.
Fan Perspectives
“It was absolutely packed,” says Pete Brennan, an English fan who attended to see the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Buffalo Bills. “But it was a really great environment; there was a good mix of people in the crowds, and everyone was wearing different types of jerseys, which is something you wouldn’t get in English football.”
The Roots of American Football in Britain
While the game’s near-capacity crowd of 61,273 stands as proof of the game’s popularity today, Britain’s love affair with American football dates back to the 1980s when Channel 4 aired the NFL for the first time on a Sunday evening.
