NFL: UK government will support plans for London based-team
Last updated on .From the section American football
Chancellor George Osborne says the UK government will support plans for a London-based NFL team.
The idea of Wembley becoming home to a franchise has been mooted since 2007, when 81,176 watched Miami Dolphins take on New York Giants at the venue.
Osborne has held talks with NFL officials and said the idea would be "a huge boost to London".
"I've said to the NFL that anything the government can do to make this happen, we will," he added.
Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons will meet on Sunday in the 10th NFL match to be played at Wembley. It will be the second this season after the Dolphins beat Oakland Raiders 38-14 in front of a crowd of 83,436 in September.
The previous nine matches have each attracted attendances of more than 76,000.
Osborne said: "There are 32 teams in America and one of them could be a London team. That's a serious prospect,
"It's not going to happen overnight but over the next few years."
Jacksonville Jaguars - who have committed to playing a game at Wembley each year until 2016 - will meet the Dallas Cowboys at Wembley on 9 November.
| NFL games at Wembley | |
|---|---|
| Date | Result |
| 28 Oct 2007 | Miami Dolphins 10-13 New York Giants |
| 26 Oct 2008 | New Orleans Saints 37-32 San Diego Chargers |
| 25 Oct 2009 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-35 New England Patriots |
| 31 Oct 2010 | San Francisco 49ers 24-16 Denver Broncos |
| 23 Oct 2011 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18-24 Chicago Bears |
| 28 Oct 2012 | St Louis Rams 7-45 New England Patriots |
| 29 Sept 2013 | Minnesota Vikings 34-27 Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 27 Oct 2013 | Jacksonville Jaguars 10-42 San Francisco 49ers |
| 28 Sept 2014 | Oakland Raiders 14-38 Miami Dolphins |
| 26 Oct 2014 | Atlanta Falcons v Detroit Lions |
| 9 Nov 2014 | Jacksonville Jaguars v Dallas Cowboys |
| designated "home" team listed first | |
