NFL reaches 10-year agreement with Tottenham Hotspur
The NFL will have a presence in the United Kingdom for years to come.
Along with Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League, the NFL announced Wednesday that it has reached a 10-year agreement to play at least two games per season at the soccer club’s new stadium, which is set to open in the summer of 2018.
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The new stadium will “feature a retractable grass field with an artificial surface underneath that would be used for NFL games.”
“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,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “We share a vision and commitment to creating the best experience for our teams, fans and the local community.”
The new agreement allows for NFL games to be played at other venues in the UK during the span of the 10-year deal. Two seasons remain on the NFL’s arrangement with Wembley Stadium, and the league said in a release that it is “optimistic that the relationship will be extended beyond 2016.”
The NFL played its first game in the UK on Oct. 28, 2007 – a 13-10 win by the New York Giants over the Miami Dolphins. Since then, interest in the NFL has increased and three regular season games will be held in the UK in 2015 – including the Oct. 25 matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, which will be exclusively live-streamed here on Yahoo.
The other two games in the UK in 2015 are an AFC East matchup between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins on Oct. 4 and the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Detroit Lions on Nov. 1.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
