The Dallas Cowboys will play their first ever regular season game on European soil this year when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 9 at Wembley Stadium in London. The NFL has been playing regular season games in London since 2007 and, according to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, European demand for American football has never been higher.
“The fans want to see more NFL football, and they want to see the real thing,” Goodell told NFL Network, via Pro Football Talk. “They don’t want to see the ‘friendlies’ as they call them over there, which is preseason games. So we changed our strategy eight years ago and said, ‘Let’s play regular season games.’ And our clubs have responded very favorably.
“They’ve enjoyed the experience. So we’re anxious to do more of it. I see us continuing to play more games there, to focus on our television coverage there and expanding that, our other business efforts including licensing and sponsorship.”
Goodell added that the interest in the NFL overseas is so high, a Europe-based NFL team could be closer than previously thought.
“We couldn’t be happier with what we’re seeing,” Goodell said. “We actually couldn’t be more surprised by the tremendous demand for NFL football in London, in the UK in general, and frankly in Europe. So it’s not something that I think is 15 or 20 years away. It could be five or 10 years away.”
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