London Ready for NFL Franchise says New England Patriots Owner
October 29, 2012
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told the crowd at the NFL’s Fan Fest that it’s time for a team in London, ESPNBoston.com reported.
“You’re already hosting the Premier League, and we believe we’re the premier sport in the world,” Kraft said. “I think London has shown, with the way they’ve handled the Olympics and every other major sporting event, that it’s time for you to have your own NFL franchise, based in London.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars are scheduled to play a home game in London from 2013 to 2016. The Patriots andSt. Louis Rams play at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. It will be the sixth International Series game played in London.
“As these things develop and there’s a permanent home team now, I’m sure they’ll develop a great following,” Kraft said. “Whatever we can do to cultivate playing football throughout the world. … We’ve been discussing that the NFL, I don’t know if we’ve done as good a job as we could educating the rest of the world on what a great game it is.”