The Miami Dolphins seems to be the favorite team that the internationals like; in 2014, the Dolphins will play the Oakland Raiders in London. Over the years, the NFL has expanded to gain more exposure international. In 1988 the first preseason game was played in London, while that was the first unofficial game international; in 2007 the New York Giants had played the Dolphins. This was the start of a global tradition.
“With our historically strong following internationally, the Dolphins are proud to once again represent the league abroad as one of the six participants of the 2014 International Series,” stated Miami Dolphins Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen M. Ross. “The opportunity to again connect with our many fans overseas and to expose a growing global audience to the sport we all love is something that our entire organization will fully embrace.”
“Our fans in the UK continue to demonstrate their passion for more football,” commissioner Roger Goodell said. “Next year for the first time we will play three regular-season games in London. We have scheduled three attractive games with four teams playing in their first International Series game. The growing enthusiasm for the NFL internationally is exciting and we look forward to continuing to respond to this interest in our game.”“People are excited about the NFL and we have a lot of Raiders fans over in London,” Biletnikoff said. “It’s really going to be a lot of fun.”
“The experience the Jaguars have had already in London has been every bit what we anticipated and more,” said Jags owner Shad Khan. “We made the right decision to commit to playing a home game in London each season through 2016. The Jaguars have a broader worldwide fan base today and the anticipation for our London game later this month is shared by our loyal fans in Jacksonville, so it’s a perfect scenario for everyone.”
The Falcons and Raiders are set to host their first game away from the United States. Oakland will return to London for the first time since 1990, when they met the Saints for a preseason tilt at Wembley. Atlanta has never played beyond the borders of the U.S.”Playing in London will provide tremendous exposure to our team, as well as provide the opportunity to showcase the great international city of Atlanta,” said Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
“Both of this year’s games in London sold out quickly. The fan enthusiasm for our sport continues to grow.”By playing two games in the UK this year, we are creating more fans. We hope that with three games in London next year we will attract even more people to our game.”The sport is hungry to increase its global profile and the appetite for American football in London suggests the feeling is mutual.”
Amateur football has grown tremendously since 2007; there has been an 15% increase each year.
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