London has hosted a variety of NFL games this season and ticket sales for the NFL have been slow recently. For example, the Commanders vs Colts game on Sunday 4 October was held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000. With tickets priced up to £245, more than 2,000 tickets remained available just 10 days before the game. Consequently, prices were slashed down to £79, which angered fans who paid full price.
Additionally, the season ticket package has been scrapped alongside a general price hike, forcing regular attendees to pay inflated single-game rates. Given the current cost of living crisis, fans struggle to afford luxuries such as NFL tickets.
Many fans think that the prices are an obvious money grab for the NFL.
Many fans think that the prices are an obvious money grab for the NFL. Jonathan Fry, a business and management lecturer and event ticketing researcher at Aberystwyth University, recently told The Independent "there could be a reputational risk for the NFL due to frustrated fans".
Critics might argue the NFL simply lacks a massive UK footprint, yet the recent Eagles vs Jaguars game nearly sold out. Furthermore, the NFL issued a statement that "hundreds of thousands of fans register for ticket information and opportunities to attend our games".
...the Packers held a group meet-up at Shearer’s Sports Bar and Lounge in Newcastle, where over 400 fans gathered...
However, there doesn’t seem to be a lack of interest. On October 1, the Packers held a group meet-up at Shearer’s Sports Bar and Lounge in Newcastle, where over 400 fans gathered with live entertainment, prizes and a chance to meet Packers Super Bowl Legend Antonio Freeman and NUFC legend Shola Ameobi. With the NFL awarding the Green Bay Packers official marketing rights in the UK, aligning the franchise with NUFC - two historically hard–working, passionate fanbases makes perfect strategic sense for the NFL’s grassroots marketing.
While events at Shearer’s Bar are one of many that showcase the UK’s passion for the sport, the NFL still needs to decide whether it is trying to build a loyal, long–term community or simply cash in before the novelty wears off.