NFL wants to attract fans, not money

Global expansion rather than exploitation of a brand at saturation point was the ethos behind the NFL taking American football outside its natural boundaries.

Unlike the round ball version, gridiron football is not played on dusty street corners around the world. By staging regular season games in the UK over the next three years, as well as promising to cross the U.S. borders north and south, into Canada and Mexico, the NFL aims to cultivate a greater knowledge of its sport, thereby widening its fan base.

Last October's game at Wembley between Miami Dolphins and New York Giants was the second regular game to be played abroad. The first took place in Mexico in 2005 between San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.

Unlike the Premier League proposal, one of the primary considerations was keeping television broadcasters at home happy. The five o'clock Wembley kick-off was arranged so viewers in the States could still watch the game at its usual Sunday 1pm slot.

So encouraged are the NFL by the response to the Wembley game that they have signed up to hosting at least one game each season in the UK for the next three years. They will still be regular season games, although moving to a 17-game season, rather than the current 16, with each team playing one game abroad is a long-term possibility.

NFL International director of public affairs David Tossell said: 'The financial aspect was the last thing we looked at. The game in London was about building fans for the future.'