Fulham to buy Wembley

[phonics]

989470064461144064

This would be a sad day imo. Such a lovely little stadium.

[John]

It cost twice that. Daft bastards.

[Baz]

Sessegnon getting the stage he deserves.

[Browning]

That can only mean the Jaguars moving there, which would fuck over Tottenham quite badly given they built their stadium to one day host an NFL team.

[phonics]

The idea of having an NFL team in London permanently sounds absolute madness to me but what do I know. For one it couldn't be called the NFL anymore.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Yep, looking likely that the Jags want it to become their full-time home.

[Lewis]

It cost twice that. Daft bastards.

Ten years ago as well, so when you see how much these new American stadiums cost it must be worth easily three times this offer. Plus it got a load of lottery/taxpayer money towards it, so the FA are ripping everyone else off as well as themselves.

[Mazuuurk]

Wait how the fuck is that going to work having an NFL team in Europe? I mean, don't they play like a million games a season in all american sports already? Imagine teams having to go back and fourth across the Atlantic (including themselves every second game) about 20 times per season :cab:

[Spikey M]

Wait how the fuck is that going to work having an NFL team in Europe? I mean, don't they play like a million games a season in all american sports already? Imagine teams having to go back and fourth across the Atlantic (including themselves every second game) about 20 times per season :cab:

I have no idea what the plan is, but that can’t be it. Surely?

[Browning]

The NFL only play 16 games, so 8 UK games. It's definitely workable.

[SincereTheRebel]

The NFL only play 16 games, so 8 UK games. It's definitely workable.

They play every weekend?

[Browning]

With 1 bye week per team, but yes. I imagine they may play all the UK games in one batch, and then have the team go to the US, but no idea if that causes other issues with the scheduling. It would also give the home UK team a huge advantage for those games.

[Spikey M]

I suppose North East US to London is no further than the trip to California. But still, fuck playing for the Jags.

[SincereTheRebel]

That could work. Its crazy though how its OK in America how team can just move to another city like its nothing.

[Mazuuurk]

The NFL only play 16 games, so 8 UK games. It's definitely workable.

OK so one "season" seems to be September - December, which in itself is a bit bizzarre because what do they do the rest of the year?

And anyway, it might not be so bad for the other teams who have to go there once or maybe twice, but them themselves will have to travel back to the US every second week, right?

Adjusting back and fourth to jetlag and what have you while being a professional athlete must be complete hell.


Then again, I suppose they take drugs for that too if they have to .

[Jimmy Floyd]

The best thing is that in this context a city is known as a 'market'.

All sport in Florida is utter bobbins apart from golf, owners don't accept this though.

[Mazuuurk]

That could work. Its crazy though how its OK in America how team can just move to another city like its nothing.


Yeah their sport always has seemed like it's about entertainment alone, and no PASSION.

But I believe that can be said in general for a lot of parts of American culture, mind you. Except some stuff like Jazz.

[phonics]

The idea of playing all your home games in one continent in a block and then all your away games in a different continent crossing from one side to the other seems a brilliant way of making the most lopsided form table you've ever seen.

[wullie]

The fella's saying that they're still staying in Jacksonville, but if he owns the stadium the Jags get first dibs on the London games forever.

[Spikey M]

Whether you’re a title contender or relegation battler (I don’t know if that’s a thing there, it’s a shit sport) will depend on whether you’re home or away first, too. Mental.

[Lewis]

The Toronto rugby league team intended to play away/home in blocks of four, but the weather has stuffed them this year and last year, but where as last year it was a bit all over the place this year they have just decided to play all of their away games first (they base themselves out of Manchester) and then finish the season with all eight home fixtures back-to-back. If they can do it an actually well-organised sport should be able to come up with something.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

OK so one "season" seems to be September - December, which in itself is a bit bizzarre because what do they do the rest of the year?

And anyway, it might not be so bad for the other teams who have to go there once or maybe twice, but them themselves will have to travel back to the US every second week, right?

Adjusting back and fourth to jetlag and what have you while being a professional athlete must be complete hell.


Then again, I suppose they take drugs for that too if they have to .

Playoffs are in January and February. Then it's getting HYPED for the draft in April. From there it's just practices with 4 games of pre-season.

[Giggles]

Can England still play there along with Cup finals, etc? Presumably there's something in the deal that says it has to continue.

[Browning]

He has said that all that stuff will continue. He also seems to be downplaying moving the Jaguars over, instead saying it'll give them "more revenue", but I'm not buying it. You don't spend £800m on a stadium and then not use it, surely?

[Magic]

I'd love it if England had to play a qualifier in Cardiff or something because THE JAGS had an NFL game.

[Yevrah]

I don't understand this.

[Lewis]

Apparently they lose money on running it due to debt interest, but in that case wouldn't sucking it up and selling the naming rights be a better long-term solution? I bet you could easily sell them for a record amount, which over twenty/thirty years would probably be the equivalent to this arrangement.

[Giggles]

You'd imagine the tally-ho brigade will never let this go through.

[Shindig]

Apparently they lose money on running it due to debt interest, but in that case wouldn't sucking it up and selling the naming rights be a better long-term solution? I bet you could easily sell them for a record amount, which over twenty/thirty years would probably be the equivalent to this arrangement.

They already have EE branding on the thing. I wonder how the deal with Spurs has worked in the last couple of years? Can't imagine they get much out of that.

[Mazuuurk]

In other "Americans should stay the fuck away from Football" news:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/04/27/donald-trump-issues-warning-allied-country-votes-against-usa/


What a fucking tit. FIFA should toss them out for that. But wont obviously.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Moroccan World Cup would shit on that three-nation monstrosity.

[wullie]

With Canada only getting a handful games in three stadiums under that proposal that shouldn't be enough for them to get an automatic host place, although by that point there will be 128 teams in the group stage anyway so they'll probably be alright.

[Shindig]

At that point, Canada would out qualify the US anyway.

[Giggles]

The papers are fanning the flames so I'd expect the politicians to be involved by Tuesday and the deal to be off by Thursday. Wembley will be surrounded by skinheads chanting oi oi oi in celebration before the weekend.

[Queenslander]

Super Rugby is played across the Southern Hemisphere, America to London is roughly the same as Perth to New Zealand as if that would be a problem on private jets with world class sports science blokes.

[Shindig]

Does Wembley actually make money when it's in use? If so, just use it more. Hold Crufts there if you have to.