NFL in London

National Football League in London

2022 London NFL games

Giants-Packers London

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Wowza! What a heck of a game that was between the Saints and Vikings last Sunday, as the sun came out to bring London one beauty of a game!

And guess what? We do it all again this week, as it’s Giants-Packers London this weekend!

To help you figure out what to do, where to do, and all the latest news, we have a packed little diary of ‘to-do’s’ to make your trip extra special.

Here’s what you need to know for the weekend of October 7th to 9th.

Transit Strike

Get ready to go nowhere, as the transit union is once again using this weekend to try to shame a Tory Party Conference with stagnation, catching NFL fans in the crossfire.

A national rail strike is due to go ahead on Sat Oct 8th, meaning that trains into London, out of London and some of the national rail lines will be affected.
Tubes and buses should be fine, but you might experience a knockoff affect of noticeable gaps.

If you are planning on travelling this weekend, make sure you plan ahead, as it will be a slow start on Sunday before the trains are up and running again at full tilt.

Getting to the Game

There are quick a few ways to get to the game, with the tube, overground and parking nearby all being options.

Direct trains from Liverpool street will have you at Tottenham within 25 minutes, and the busy Victoria line will take you to Seven Sisters or Tottenham Hale where you have easy access to the stadium.

Some folks also like to park a few Overground stops away, and just zip south to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

UK vs USA

It’s America versus the United Kingdom in Women’s Football (soccer), with a high profile friendly game kicking off on Friday October 7th at Wembley stadium.

The last time these two teams played was in 2020, when America delivered a 2-0 victory over the Lionesses.

Kickoff will be at 8pm on Friday night, and coverage will be available on ITV.

The game is SOLD OUT, so if you are looking for tickets, make sure you find someone who isn’t going to steal from you.

Football (soccer)

If you’re looking to watch football (soccer) this weekend, you’re in luck!
If you’re looking to watch college football this weekend…you’re kind of SOL.

It’s another big weekend in the Premier League, with some massive London derbys to check out if you can find the time.

Saturday kicks of with some major matches, as posh club Chelsea host Wolverhampton at 15:00GMT, and if you fancy a trip to the coast-Brighton and Hove host Tottenham in the 17:30 match.

There are some great traditional pubs to watch the games in, so make sure you explore the neighbourhoods to find a lovely local boozer.

Sunday might be the NFL, but it’s also a major day in English football, with games on all day-but it’s the later games that might be a problem.

Arsenal host Liverpool in an exciting 16:00GMT match, that will be on most tvs in most pubs across the country.

Later, Everton play host to Manchester United in a 19:00 GMT corker than will also predominate TVs in pubs and bars across the capital.

Comedy

London loves to laugh, so why not check out some of the great comedy on this weekend to laugh it up?

The Backyard Comedy Club in Bethnal Green has a great line-up on this weekend, and it’s one of the places Dave Chappelle likes to warm up before destroying larger venues.
Get your tickets here.

https://backyardcomedyclub.co.uk/event/backyard-comedy-club-saturday-night-427/

American comedy fans will have no idea British comedy icon Stewart Lee is, but they can find out as Lee performs in a series of intimate London comedy dates.
There are still some tickets available, and American comedy fans will be pleasantly surprised at the different stylings of Lee.
Tickets here:

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/live-dates/

Fair Time

The fall fair is a classic of Americana, with rides, fun games, and novelty foods sure to choke arteries.

South London is hosting its’ own, with Fairgame Funfair setting up in Canary Wharf.

Loads of games, digitally updated games from your past and plenty of booze to make this an all day fun day.

Tickets and info here:

https://www.wearefairgame.com/

Sundays

As we have mentioned in the past, London is not a late night city-and Sundays are the worst of the bunch.

Please be careful in areas like Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, as they are very dangerous at night.

Areas like Shoreditch, Highbury & Islington, and Finsbury Park all have late night options.

Stay safe, and watch this space for more info!

 

 

Skoll London

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What a first day of the NFL in London, as the Minnesota Vikings pipped the New Orleans Saints just prior to OT to get their third London victory.
The hobbled down Saints made their best efforts, but couldn’t hold the Vikes off in the end, as it was a Skoll London victory.

Despite the slow start, both teams came alive in the second half, adding 33 points between them, and electrifying the London hometown crowd.

How did you enjoy the game between the Saints and Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

Here are a few things we did notice that maybe you did, and some of the folks at home sure did.

Big Smoke

Pyrotechnics before kickoff is a rookie mistake, as the Tottenham crew soon found out with thick black smoke enveloping the centre of the field.

US TV announcers were quick to inform viewers at home that the picture might look dark and  cloudy not because it’s London, but because all those fireworks were just set off and it’s going to take a while to clear.

Be interesting to see if they let off that many fireworks prior to the Giants and Packers.

Fan Noise

Yes, it’s a London game, and yes, the fans comprise the whole league, not just the two teams playing.

It’s always interesting to get the perspective of US based fans who couldn’t believe how quiet it was, whereas many UK fans were bloody hoarse today from screaming all day.

Sure, you don’t get people screaming as hard at third down conversions, but they’re just happy to be at the game.

It’s not as loud as an American game, and that’s ok.

London Prices

‘Welcome to London, three pints will be £20.70.’

For anyone who doesn’t live in London, getting a pint in the capital sometimes requires a guarantor to make sure you can afford the debt.

With prices for regular pints hitting £6.90 at the stadium, many fans found it easier to quaff as many as they could before hand, or pop into the Tesco for a cheeky 4 pack.

Thanks to the pond taking a massive dump earlier in the week, American tourists must have felt that they hit the lottery with an almost par exchange rate.

Please-spend your money Yankee Doodle Dandies! We have gas bills to pay this winter.

Transit Strike

Despite the big bad warnings from the RMT and transit unions, travel on Sunday wasn’t as bad as could be expected.

Londoners bemoan the frequency of our transit woes, and it might seem malarky to foreigners, until you get here and wonder ‘how the heck do I get home.’

Thankfully fans were aware that Saturday and early Sunday would be nonsense on national rail, and made plans to get to the stadium early.

Hey guess what? There’s another strike this weekend, and this one could be even more of a doozy!

Sounds lovely! Travel smart and plan ahead.

NFL on Southbank

Well that’s pretty nifty neat-o huh?

For the first time, the NFLUK has brought the fan experience to the banks of the river Thames, with the adjustment to Southbank from Regent Street.
The result is a more fresh and invigorating stroll through the NFL.

While Westminster was nice to play host to the NFL for a few decades, the rot of Soho and surrounding area made it feel like it was stuck on the street like a piece of gum, and that the stores all secretly hated everyone in jerseys who would never shop in their stores.

It’s a whole different vibe now, make sure that you head down to Southbank and check out all of the activities that they have on this week as well.

Giants vs Packers

We have another game here in London this week!

More info to follow on all the exciting things to do in London this week!

 

 

NFL London Viewings

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The 2022 NFL is officially underway, and the big football energy as palpable across the UK with the promise of 3 homes games, a German game, and no COVID!

As a group that has hosted NFL viewing parties across the UK for the past 15 years, we are often asked ‘where are the best places to watch the NFL in the UK’?

Normally we work with pubs, bars and venues to host wicked, weekly NFL parties across the city, however this year is a bit different.
While we will be promoting some great NFL events around the International games, we won’t be supporting weekly NFL London viewings for a few reasons this season.

Pub Chains

As you may have noticed living in Britain over the past decade, that the number of independent, local pubs has dropped substantially.

Even if an independent pub or small chain of them does well, it’s only a matter of time before the big boys buy them up, and rip apart the uniqueness of the pub to maximise operating efficiency.

We have always enjoyed working with independent pubs, as they are limited to do more for their customers and not laden down by corporate double-speak or ridiculous growth projections.

Making matters worse is that many of these large pub chains ‘promise’ to show the NFL, in many cases it’s up to a manager-who might decide to keep the 8-0 beating of Man City of Villa on the screen, because ‘4 lads in the corner are watching it’, ignoring the 70 NFL fans queuing for the 6pm game.

These large pub chains don’t care about your NFL viewing experience, and constantly drill at us the need to ‘increase foot traffic weekly to show corporate that this is working’, while at the same time serving football food that tastes like someone went dumpster-diving at Iceland.

These pubs have also jacked their prices up ‘in line with the cost of living’, which we’re sorry-no one should be paying over £7 for a pint.

The pub industry has been struggling heavily post Covid, with Sunday nights taking a particularly big hit.
Getting a pub to stay open late has been like…well, trying to get a London pub to stay open late on a Sunday.

We have also had to recently shy away from late night Sundays in Leicester Square, Soho and Piccadilly Circus areas due to the rise in robberies, stabbings and assaults.
If you are going to be out LATE at night in these areas, be very careful, do not travel alone, nor under the influence.
Last year was very bad for some of our NFL fans in that area-so caution is cool!

Cost of Living

Smell that? Things are getting expensive again-as the cost of living crisis is making things way more expensive.

People and pubs alike are struggling, with pubs having to jack their prices to afford their bills, while the eye-balls of the nation are trying to focus on the thermostat to combat the heating crisis.

With a ’round’ of pints doubling over the past 5 years, we thought it would be better to point out the value NFL places, rather than trying to funnel fans into a maelstrom of minimum spends, deposits, and set menus that fell out of the fryer.

World Cup

Did we mention that every pub we talked to also said that they would only play the NFL after the World Cup was done? No-well there’s that.

With the World Cup crossing over to the NFL for the first time ever, British pubs couldn’t give a toss about your American football fascination. The trophy is coming home! (spoiler alert-it isn’t).

World Cup games will feature heavily on Sundays as, as well as culminating in a final a week before Christmas, effectively choking the NFL into TV submission.

So if you’re making plans to watch the NFL in November/ December-make sure to check that it hasn’t been given a yellow card.

Places to Go

Just because we aren’t working with venues, doesn’t mean that there aren’t places that will show the games.

It is highly unlikely that venues will show the 9pm game in its entirety, and no way that you are able to watch the 1:30am game in public.

That being said, there are casinos in Mayfair and Stratford that are open 24 hrs, and you might be able to get them to throw on Sky sports for a laugh.

We have also been informed by many venues that NFL Gamepass is no longer available for commercial sale, meaning that for many venues-the NFL just isn’t worth it.

There are NO pubs in London that show all the games every week anymore.
Sorry-the times they are a changing.

Social NFL

That being said, many of us have taken the pub online-preferring to stay at home, or a friend’s and shit-talk their fantasy fans from the safety of their phone.

If you’re looking to join some of our group chats across NFL, and Betting, just get in touch!

We’ll also let you know about events that we have on for the London games, Thanksgiving and the playoffs.

It’s great to have the NFL back everyone!

If you do have a venue that is showing the NFL every Sunday, please let us know!

 

 

AFC/NFC Preview

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Well NFL darlings, it’s that time of the year again, as that giddy feeling in your stomach turns into the excitement of another NFL season!

The preseason is done, London games set, initial rounds of injuries have skated across the league, and it’s time for some football!

To commemorate the start of the 2022 NFL season, once again Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull have taken the task at hand of trying to determine who will emerge as the top teams to face off in the 2023 SuperBowl.

Thus we present to you our AFC/NFC Preview Podcast!

As a Bears and Bills fan, they have a skewed barometer of how their teams will fare, but there’s no loyalty in making picks.

To make sure that you get the best out of both guys, we have recorded not ONE, but TWO podcasts on this-one for each division!

AFC

The Buffalo Bills are heavily favoured to take it all this year, but as any seasoned Western New York fan knows, the wing might be spicy, it doesn’t mean that it’s fully cooked inside. (aka-expect failure0

It’s the Bills to lose this season, but the AFC East has the much touted Dolphins and their diminutive QB looking to be the big man.
The Dolphins have all the tools, but will those tools fit into the new machine?
Billy B will be looking to pull off some sleight of hand, convincing many preseason pundits that the Pats don’t have it together-they will.
The Jets…two words…Joe Flacco.
They’s be better off with Edie Falco.

The AFC North has all the drama for your mama this year, as Deshaun Watson immediately makes the Browns the least favourite team of any female fan of the NFL.
Cincy is fresh off a Superbowl appearance, but as history tells us-that isn’t always a good thing.
Lamar has a lot to prove this season, let’s just hope he doesn’t get hurt before he gets paid.
Pittsburgh has Trubisky. ‘Nuff said.

The West is Best in the AFC in terms of team calibre, but which of these rats can chew off the others faces to pip the top.
Patrick Mahomes is a safe bet to put on a show, as the Chiefs shrug off some dead weight to make another run at the title.
Hot on their heels will be the strong arm of Justin Herbert and a rejuvenated Chargers D. Is this his Joe Burrow year?
Vegas went all in on Carr, giving him the pieces he needs to make a buffet to feed the city their dreams.
Denver has Russ-but can he ever cook again?

Matty Ice is in the AFC, as he hope to run off of Taylor’s legs and take this AFC South division with ease.
Tannehill has lost loads of weapons this season, with the Titans trying to make a run, without all the tools they had before.
Houston-we have a problem. Davis Mills is fine, but you can’t build a team around him.
Jacksonville has to do something this year now that Urban Meyer is back working as a manager at Hot Topic. It’s all on you Trevor!

NFC

The NFC claimed the SuperBowl title last year, with the LA Rams and the noodle-elbow of Matt Stafford winning it all after a woeful time in Detroit.

It’s hard to repeat as champs, so they’ll need all the Cialis in their wallets if they want to stay hard this year.
The NFC West is a feast of talent, so the Rams will need to stifle the tough D and running game of the 49ers if they want to move ahead. This is your chance Trey!
Kyler asked to ‘show me the money’, now he needs to show he can score. Boom or bust year for him.
Seattle is famed for being a depressive place that led to grunge and copious coffee drinking. Put another pot on.

NFC East is the least in terms of being impressive, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t gotten better.
Hurts and the Eagles were able to make the playoffs during a rebuild year-and that running game should move them to the playoffs again this year.
The Devil and Daniel Jones have one last chance in the Big Apple before the angels of Harlem chase their asses out of town.
‘Dem Boyz are looking more like the Proud Boyz, as many people are turning on them, as wondering who the hell they are.
Washington sucks so bad, they should change the name again.

The NFC Dirty South has TB12 and his mama drama. Will that stop the Bucs from returning to the big game and send Tommy Boy to retirement?
Jameis is ready to rock the Saints and their top tier D into the playoffs-they have enough talent to do it, but do they have enough discipline?
Baker has to cook something up in Carolina this year, before he finds himself carrying Pat McAfee’s golf bags.
Atlanta is a great TV show starring Donald Driver.

Aaron Rodgers has taken a full dose of himself, and he is ready to lead the Packers to another early round playoff exit. Is his team ready to this to the NFC North?
The Vikings have an amazing team on paper, but paper doesn’t play every week.
Hard Knocks fans have swallowed the Dan Campbell pill, and have them beasting the league this year. Do we all remember the Lions of last year? Good.
The Bears are slated to be the worst team in the league this year. They will definitely have the worst O line…and draft picks!

Wade & Ryan will be back with their Week 1 predictions, as well as more NFL in London fun.

 

London Tickets

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Tickets for the 2022 London NFL games are on sale and flying off the digital shelves, did you get any London tickets?
No, huh?

First off, we want to assure our dear readers that we have nothing to do with the NFL London tickets, games, or general sadness that you feel when you realise you might not go to the games this year.
We throw NFL events, viewing parties, betting pools, and in general-oodles of fun for all NFL fans in the UK.
We have nothing to do with the league…
Please don’t get mad at us…

That being said, it seems that frustration was the word of the day for NFL fans in the UK, as thousands of fans took to social media to express their outrage at not being able to secure tickets.

You only have to pop onto social media to see the vented anger in play, as it emerged that despite being told there would be no queue until 9:30am, that many were already told that there were 170,000 people ahead of them in line for tickets.
Eeks.

Ticketmaster

Often touted as the ‘devil of tickets’, Ticketmaster once again was the target of wrath for many NFL UK fans looking to secure tickets.

With the moral turpitude of Jeffrey Epstein, Ticketmaster has long drawn ire from sports fans who tire of the constant BS from a company often with its head up its own ass of incompetence.

Ticketmaster had also assured fans that tickets would not be appearing on secondary and tertiary ticket sites, only for those very tickets to pop up throughout the afternoon on various nefarious ticketing sites.

Will I Get Tickets?

As the old expression goes, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’, pointing to the fact that if you really want to go to the games this year, you will!
(The power of positive thinking!)

The NFLUK has been running these games for a few decades now, and given how well they have gone-there’s a great confidence that they will continue to pull them off.
So why worry?

Having witnessed ticket frenzy for the past 20 years, there are plenty of ways to secure tickets over the next few months if you use the right channels.
Keep an eye on social media, follow the fan groups for all of the teams that are visiting, and keep checking this site.

There is a Facebook Group that focuses on NFL tickets for the 2022 games, and is well vetted to eliminate scalpers and salty ticket touts.
You can find it here.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nflfansukbuyandsell

As far as getting tickets, we will let you know as we do.

Travel Hell

Making things worse for the NFL games in the UK for 2022 is the ripe-ass travel hell that seems to be slapping its way across the world.

Cancelled flights, lost baggage, a war in Eastern Europe, and monkeypox are all adding to the eye-watering shit show that has been the past 18 months.

Just remember that none of that crap matters, this is the NFL we’re talking about!
Think ahead to get ahead!

Book your tickets now, and plan on just bringing a carry on with you to the UK.

Unlike US ‘Goodwill’ stores, our charity shops have great clothes, at great prices, and doesn’t fuel a corrupt organisation where the CEO makes more than the president of the country.

Once you’re in the UK just find a local Wetherspoons to be your home for a fortnight, it’s open early and you can start drinking at 7am.

It Will be Fine

Yes, things seem dire and daft now, but wait a few months to let the air clear.

More tickets will go on sale, people will need to sell their tickets, and it’s always on TV.
Don’t freak out just yet, the games aren’t until October.

We will also be throwing some great events around the games, so watch this space for more info!