The NFL generates about 40 million dollars (36 million euros) every time it visits a European city. A round business that in 2022 will expand to Munichand which is already very present in Londonwith three parties, and in Mexico Citywith one. Spain and France are the next targets of the American competitionstill under study.
As this European expansion unfolds, the NFL focuses on Germany and the United Kingdomwhere each city will generate about 40 million dollars for the matches that will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley and Allianz Arena.
“Europe is a big market for the NFL, because the fan base in the UK and Germany is the largest outside of America. It is a market that is growing and has a lot of potential”Brett Gosper, director of the NFL in Europe, explained to Efe.
Gosper, from the office that has the competition in the British capital, stressed that the impact of the NFL in London has been 40 million dollars and that it is estimated that it will be similar for Munich, the second city in Europe that will receive a game of regular season, after the British capital, which has three, two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one at Wembley.
Munich, yes, will not be the only German city to see the NFL and will alternate with Frankfurt, which will hold its first meeting in 2023.
“We are working to expand the places to play these matches. There are economic reasons to put two or three games in the same city. The retransmission that is going to be made of them and the audiences and public that can attend these matches also have a great influence. In the end, the time we have to organize and schedule these matches is limited, so use it wisely.”
In the United States, these European games have an audience of about 60 million viewers, which could be more if they were played in ‘prime time’, instead of at 9:30 in the morning.
Tottenham and Bayern benefit greatly from hosting the NFL, not only because of the economic impact that the game already has, but because of the financial distributions that each team reaches with the NFL. The percentages are confidential, but Gosper points out that they are working to make it something “even and fair” and to divide “income and expenses.”
But the benefit is not only economic. One of the biggest attractions of hosting an NFL game is the projection of the Tottenham brand and the Bayern brand in the largest sports market in the world, the United States.
Thus, Tottenham got their kits to appear in the latest NFL video game, in Madden 22, while their store, during game days, is transformed so that 90% of the items are American football. Does this increasing departure from the NFL irritate the American fan? According to Gosper, no.
“Our way of solving this is to add one more home game to the regular season, so the fans don’t have as much of a feeling of missing a game. Both the fans and the teams have a feeling that there is a responsibility in the brand. to expand this sport and I think they also like to see their sport in London and in Germany because it’s a different context,” added the manager.
Another drawback is time, and the fact is that the NFL depends on the FIFA windows of national teams and the schedule of the Premier and the Bundesliga to be able to schedule their games when neither Bayern nor Tottenham play.
“The most complicated thing is to find a moment in which we can use the stadium. This year is even more difficult because we normally use the October window, but there is the World Cup in Qatar. There are also logistical issues, like moving different teams around the world. Finding the right time so that it can be played, having the stadium available, distributing the tickets and being able to market the match, is the biggest challenge.”
Of course, this expansion has not brought back the idea of a European NFL, with franchises throughout the continent.
“We are always open to more games being played in Europe, but there are no plans to revive the idea of playing an NFL in Europe. There has been no talk of it.”
Gosper does understand that while the privilege of watching the NFL only falls to the UK and Germany for now, a bigger expansion is on the horizon. “The responsibility of playing in different cities also falls on the teams, if the Dolphins or the Bears tell us that they want to play in Spain, that possibility will be studied.”
“Spain and France are the next markets that opt to have an NFL game,” he concluded..