Tristan Barclay, ESPN UK Assistant Editor 7y

Jaguars vs. Colts: Do British fans want an NFL franchise in London?

WEMBLEY, London -- The British government wants it, Tottenham are building their new stadium to accommodate it, but do NFL fans in the UK actually want a franchise based on these shores?

The NFL's International Series is now into its 10th year, with the Jacksonville Jaguars' narrow victory over the Indianapolis Colts providing the first of three rounds of entertainment for football fans in London.

A huge attendance of 83,764 and queues of over an hour for the merchandise tent on Sunday suggest the Wembley faithful is hungry for the NFL, and figures within the league are understood to be keen one day to place a first overseas franchise in Britain.

The Jaguars have been mooted as the team most likely to relocate across the pond, but fans outside Wembley who spoke to ESPN cautioned they would not simply swallow any franchise thrust upon them.

"The Jaguars are sort of London's adopted team, so I'm in a Jags shirt, but if it was the Cowboys playing I'd be supporting them," Tom Bentley, from Staffordshire, told ESPN. "You've got to show some Jaguar love when they're over here though.

"Basing a franchise here is a lovely idea, but the problem is longevity. You have to have players coming from the home country to support a team. The college system would potentially need to be set up over here, or else we'll just have loads of Americans coming over here to play for an 'English' side."

Those were sentiments echoed by Tom's friend Steve Baldwin, a 27-year-old who divides his time between following the Miami Dolphins and non-league soccer side Hednesford Town.

"It would be difficult [to support a London team]," Steve said. "I've supported the Dolphins for eight years, to just abandon that and support a new London franchise would be hard to change allegiances. If the Dolphins were to move it would be easier, but I'd be happy to come a see a game or two."

Regardless of whether or not the Jaguars would be Londoners' team of choice should the franchise move across the Atlantic, quarterback Blake Bortles insisted he felt the passion from the British fans as he guided his side to their first victory of the season.

The 24-year-old even celebrated his second-quarter touchdown by punting the ball into the crowd -- a move he said signaled his enthusiasm for the game at Wembley.

"It does [sound like a home game]," Bortles told a media conference. "When you run out here and see all the flags waving, all the jerseys, it's exciting. I really enjoy playing here, the atmosphere's unbelievable and it's a super-cool stadium.

"I heard [the punt] didn't even make it to the stands, but I was trying to give a fan from London an American football. They've probably never seen one or held one, so I wanted to give someone the experience."

As Bortles noted, one of the quirks of the NFL's International Series in London is the sheer variety of fans that turn up to each game. The journey across London to Wembley is made amid a sea of different jerseys, with the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers featuring just as prominently on Sunday as the Jaguars and Colts.

Portsmouth resident Adam Charlton told ESPN he would follow a London franchise if one were to arrive, but admitted they would be unlikely to replace the Patriots as his team of choice.

"I'm a big Patriots fan," he said. "Have been since the Eagles Super Bowl [in 2005]. I'd have a London team as my second team, but I'd probably still support the Pats even if there was a franchise over here.

"I support [soccer club] Charlton Athletic for my sins, and I'm a big London Irish [rugby union club] fan. All my teams lose apart from the Pats.

"Wembley for the NFL is more of an event than anything else. The tickets come out in January, we've been planning this as a yearly event. It's always something to look forward to. We've been coming for five years, but I've done about eight or nine games."

This year the NFL will branch out of the home of soccer at Wembley to English rugby's HQ at Twickenham. Wembley has committed to hosting games until at least 2020, while Tottenham's new home will stage two matches a season between 2018 and 2027.

Fans in the official tailgate zone outside Wembley were clearly hungry for more football, and ESPN spoke to groups from Germany and Switzerland who had flown over to London just to see the Jaguars take on the Colts.

There is more nuance to the issue than to say simply that British, or even European fans, will be happy with whatever fare is thrown their way. But there was a growing sense that the spectacle of the NFL is something more special than anything traditional British sports -- such as soccer and rugby -- can offer up.

"For this game to work, for people to play it in schools, you need to have more English players in the league," Tom Bentley added. "That needs to be addressed first.

"I support [soccer side] Aston Villa. As a day out, the NFL is much more enjoyable than soccer. You're paying about £50 to sit at Wembley, the national stadium, with everyone just having a good time. I'm not too bothered who wins. When you go to soccer, it's nowhere near anything like this."

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