October isn’t just well-known for Halloween but more importantly for sports fans it is the time for the NFL to come to the United Kingdom, but should it be popular in the UK?
It is the biggest sport in the US and crosses the pond to play three games in London each year.
In 2024 two are played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the last one is played at Wembley.
The UK games kicked off last weekend when the New York Jets faced the Minnesota Vikings with the Vikings taking the victory.
Sports channels across the United Kingdom have been playing their part for the fans with the likes of Sky Sports having their own NFL channel, where they play non-stop football.
Similarly, DAZN the sporting network, now have the NFL on their platform that fans can pay a monthly or yearly subscription to watch the Football.
But radio presenter Jay Lawrence, and a spokesperson for The UK & Ireland Jets fans have agreed that the UK could do slightly more to assist the Fans on this side of the pond.
“It’s all about accessibility and the NFL is doing a decent job in the UK as it stands,” said Lawrence.
“More terrestrial TV would be good, as would more discussion of the NFL on mainstream media throughout the year,” said Lawrence.
Olivia Peebles of The UK & Ireland Jets fans agreed.
She said: “The London games definitely help. Having the chance to see games is a massive factor in attracting new fans.
“I think a focus on young fans would be beneficial. This could be through promoting flag football or making the London games more accessible for families, for example.
“I would also increase the amount of official ‘get togethers’ for fans. Work with fan clubs to host great events across the country.”
With every American sport it is hard for people who live in the UK to get into it for many reasons.
One of them is not many mainstream channels and social media platforms cover the games, news and events that happen in the US.
The vice president of 49er Faithful UK, Paul Hope, agrees.
He said: “Being an NFL fan in the UK can be a lonely experience, especially if you support a west coast team – NFL Sunday for the UK fan begins at 6pm so you usually watch the games at home.
“Sky have done a good job with the coverage but not everyone has Sky, so getting into the sport for the casual fan isn’t as straight forward as walking into a sports bar and just watching a game.”
Another main reason is the time difference between the two places, and the US has multiple time zones which are hours behind the UK.
“The more ‘exciting games’ are on America’s prime time which is typically late in the UK,” said Peebles.
“However, the ‘1pm EST’ window, usually meaning 6pm here, is a great opportunity for people to get into the sport as it’s a reasonable time. You don’t have to stay up in the small hours to watch your favourite team every week.”
Even such such struggles, the popularity of NFL in the UK is growing quickly.
The three games that are taking place in London sold out in the matter of days and tickets went on sale nine months in advance.
“You just need to look at the number of people that go to the games in London, and how it sells out so quickly. It’ll never be as popular as football, but its popularity is increasing,” said Lawrence.
Peebles added: “It feels like more people are jumping on the sport. Even things such as Taylor Swift going out with Travis Kelce is bringing an unexpected but welcomed interest into the game.”
One of the hardest and most important aspects is picking a team to support because there are many, and you don’t want to pick a team and be known as a glory hunter.
“There might be a place in the US you love. A type of food you adore. Maybe a player you love to watch or even a jersey you’re keen on,” said Lawrence.
