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League eyeing more games outside of U.S

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Ohio Steeler

Ohio Steeler

Lets go Bucks and Steelers
DUESSELDORF, Germany (May 27, 2006) -- The NFL has proposed playing two regular-season games outside the United States starting in 2008, league officials said.

Mark Waller, head of NFL international development, said the proposal to play abroad was put to team owners in Denver. It came after the 49ers and Cardinals played last October before a regular-season record crowd of 103,000 in Mexico City.

The owners will discuss the issue again in October. The games would be played in Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany, where five of the six NFL Europe teams play.

"I will say the reception we got from the owners was incredibly positive -- all the questions were on the practical issues," Waller said.

Plans were also announced to add two more teams to the six playing in NFL Europe by 2010. Last year, owners gave the league a five-year operating license -- ending years of threatening to pull the plug on the operation because of the cost.

"It now gives us a platform to grow the game internationally with a concept of clarity," Waller said.

Outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue said developing the game internationally may rank as one of his top five accomplishments during his 16 years in charge.

"I feel the international initiatives we made, along with the owners, may become more significant over time," Tagliabue said.

The league's effort to make an impact internationally began in 1986, when NFL teams began to play preseason games overseas.

The German cities of Hanover and Leipzig are the leading candidates to get NFL Europe expansion clubs as the league concentrates on Germany. The Amsterdam Admirals are the only current NFL Europe team located outside Germany.

NFL Europe would then be split into two four-team divisions with the schedule expanded from 10 to 12 games. The league hopes to develop local stars for NFL Europe, as well as international stars in the NFL.

"It's clearly critical to the future of the game internationally," said Jim Connelly, managing director of NFL Europe
 

Aaron Rodgers suggests full week of international games, jabs at NFL owners​

Aaron Rodgers advocated for the NFL to schedule a full week of international games and also took multiple swipes at team owners Sunday, hinting that they pay lip service to player safety while quipping that "maybe they're a little tight on money."

Rodgers commented on the NFL's global outreach after the Pittsburgh Steelers played the New Orleans Saints in Paris -- the league's first regular-season game in France.

The NFL is playing a record nine international games across seven countries this season, but Rodgers alluded to an even grander plan that he said was discussed between the league and the NFL Players Association during previous rounds of labor talks.

"There was talk about doing a week -- an international week -- where you had games in 16 different places and you just added an extra bye week," the Steelers star quarterback said. "So you play 16 regular-season [weeks], you have two bye weeks -- one of those weeks would've been an international week.

"I think it would've been phenomenal for the game. Now, the owners wanted to push for 17 games for the extra revenue and because they care so much about player safety, but it would've been nice."

Rodgers listed several locations where the league already has or will host international games -- including Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, England, Spain and Germany -- and also mentioned adding another South American country or a destination such as Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

"I think there's great opportunities for expansion and those things," he said. "It'd be awesome to see them have an international week, because I think it's great for the game and the expansion of the game."

The four-time NFL MVP then pivoted back to ownership, taking a few swipes at what he intimated were limited travel budgets for teams visiting international cities.

"I wish there was a mandate, though, from the league," Rodgers said. "They would have to open up their pocketbooks, too, which -- you know, maybe they're a little tight on money and stuff. I think they should mandate every team coming over Sunday or Monday to really enjoy the culture of the place you're going. You can do events in those cities and outreach stuff and community work, but they won't because they're a little tight."
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Year and number of NFL regular season games abroad.

2005: The first regular-season game outside the United States is held on October 2, 2005, in Mexico City, where the Arizona Cardinals defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31–14.
2006: 0
2007: 1
2008: 1
2009: 1
2010: 1
2011: 1
2012: 1
2013: 3
2014: 3
2015: 3
2016: 4
2017: 4
2018: 3, A fourth scheduled game (Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Rams at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City) was moved back to Los Angeles due to poor field conditions
2019: 4
2020: 0
2021: 2
2022: 5
2023: 5
2024: 5
2025: 7
2026: 9

Ohio Steeler said:
The German cities of Hanover and Leipzig are the leading candidates to get NFL Europe expansion clubs as the league concentrates on Germany. The Amsterdam Admirals are the only current NFL Europe team located outside Germany.

NFL Europe would then be split into two four-team divisions with the schedule expanded from 10 to 12 games. The league hopes to develop local stars for NFL Europe, as well as international stars in the NFL.

"It's clearly critical to the future of the game internationally," said Jim Connelly, managing director of NFL Europe
Click to expand...

That ↑ was 10 years ago. The NFL shut down the league (then known as NFL Europe) in 2007 because it lost money and the NFL wanted to focus on playing regular-season games in Europe instead.

Just askin':

Google AI: The NFL plays games in Europe to grow it's fanbase, increase global revenue, and test international markets for potential future team expansion.
Key reasons for the league's European expansion include:
    • Market Growth & Revenue: Because the U.S. domestic market is largely saturated, the NFL looks to Europe for new television deals, merchandise sales, and corporate sponsorships.
    • Global Markets Program: The league allows individual franchises to build dedicated fanbases and run marketing campaigns in specific international territories.
    • Future Team Expansion: Commissioner Roger Goodell and league officials view Europe as a primary candidate for a future permanent international franchise, scaling up from regular-season games in cities like London, Frankfurt, Munich, Madrid, and Paris.
    • Extended Broadcast Windows: International games help stretch the NFL's live-action programming across longer broadcast blocks to capture more global and domestic screen time.
1. Do you really think you will see an actual non-US city NFL team in your lifetime?

2. Are you in favor of more or less regular season NFL games being played in another country?
 
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