NFL in London

National Football League in London

Indianapolis Colts

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!

 

 

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.

 

Due Date

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Deshaun gets his back to work date, TB12 takes time off work, and our man Ryan is having another baby!
All this and more in our Due Date podcast.

 Goes to 11

So the NFL has finally finagled the Deshaun Watson situation, and the ruling is…11 games!

How weird that his first game back is facing his old team the Texans? You sure know how to write a script NFL!

Despite howls of ‘Boos’ and ‘Boo-Urns’, Watson has been rather oblivious to the whole shit-suation surrounding him.

With the league finally nailing down a return to work date, we can all get back to what’s most important in this league…making fun of the Cowboys.

TB Time

TB12 checked into training camp, then promptly checked out having declared a need for personal time.

This sent internet sleuths into a tizzy, who quickly claimed that the reason Tommy Boy was taking time off, was to appear on FOX’s ‘The Masked Singer.’

Like the Korean dish kimchi, ‘The Masked Singer’ has invaded our shores with ear-shredding celebrities surprising C-list celebs with their singing skills (or lack thereof.)

If Brady did sign up for this show, it would surely signal his shark-jump of cool, going from the goofy drunk guy who tossed the Lombardi into the drink, into…Rudi Guliani.

Hopefully this is all a horrible nightmare, like Marvels ‘Eternals.’

AB Me Me

Have you forgotten about Antonio Brown yet? Well, you should.

AB is desperately trying to get anyone to listen to him, as he makes his case for the Dallas Cowboys to take a chance on him.

Despite signs of dementia and poor decision making in the past, owner Jerry Jones was quick to poo-poo any chance of AB becoming one of ‘Dem Boyz’.

Maybe AB could appear on ‘The Masked Singer”? Oh, that’s right, he already did in 2019 when he skipped Steelers practices.

Catfish

Who wants catfish for dinner?

Certainly not Manti Te’o, who is the subject of a new Netflix documentary about the nut-bar situation he was placed in when catfished during his college career.

At the time, Manti became fodder for the late night talk shows, who were quick to trash this kid who got suckered in by a catfisher, instead blaming Te’o for ‘making her up.’

Nice to see that despite a country accusing him of lying, trashing his mental health, and not even investigating the truth at the time, Manti was able to come out with his sanity.

Injuries

It wouldn’t be the preseason without a slew of injuries to kick it all off, and the NFL preseason did not disappoint!

Zac Wilson broke a boner on his moms’ friend-is what the trash rags like the NY Post will have you believe.
Wilson will be out for 2-4 weeks after a bone bruise during PS-hopefully the press can be a bit more forgiving with this young man.

The Bucs lost a big chunk of their O-line after losing several key members to injury in training camp.

Browns centre Nick Harris tore his ACL, and will be out for the season.

This goes to show you why you NEVER run your fantasy draft until the season starts.

Favre KO

Anyone who has heard Brett Favre talk, knows that he has spent a career taking hits to the head.

It’s a bit of a surprise however when Brett revealed the extent of his head hits, reckoning that he has had ‘thousands’ of concussions throughout his playing daze.

From bight white lights, loss of sound and vision, to being front row at a Nickleback concert, these hits have made a mess out of Favre’s head.

You only have to watch highlight of Brett’s career to realise that he wasn’t exaggerating…much.

Fantasy

What kind of fantasy do you guys like to play?

Straight-up season? Daily? Pick’em pools?

Well, we’re going to offer you the chance to join in some of our pools for the 2022 season.

All will be revealed next week!

 

 

August Headlines

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It’s official, there will be NFL games played this month.
Sure, they will be preseason, but football is back baby!

It wouldn’t be an off-season, without a bit of drama-and boy did the 2022 soft months provide a lot of entertainment!

Let’s take a look at some of the big news in our August Headlines!

Deshaun

The league has finally laid down it’s iron-fist ruling in the NFL vs Deshaun Watson, and the league has ruled…6 games!

Six? Only six Why not more? What not less? What about Calvin Ridley? What if he blew pot smoke in their faces instead? Would be get a season?

The judge ruled that Watson wasn’t violent, but did still must miss 6 games in penance for his groping actions.

It’s been a long road for Watson, the League, fans and of course all of the women who have made the accusations.
Let’s not forget it all started with Watson demanding a trade from the Texans, and the owner and many fans reminding Deshaun not to ‘mess with Texas’.

You wrestle the bull, you get the horns.

No one will be happy with this outcome because it’s been such a stain over the past year.

Hopefully we can all get on with some football, and the Browns can get back doing what they do best…disappoint their fans.

London Tickets

Tickets for the London games went on sale and flew off the digital shelves.

Did you get tickets, or were you beaten to the punch by digital ticket touts?

While we have heard some truly horrific ticketing stories, experience teaches us it all works out in the end.

With a few months to go until the London games, there will likely be more tickets released, as well as circumstances in which fans can’t make it, making their tickets available.

Be patient, watch the Facebook pages and fan groups, and don’t buy from scalpers. You will definitely be sad if you do.

Fantasy 2022

It’s time for another NFL Fantasy season, which means it’s time to start doing your research.

Some fans like to do their NFL Fantasy Draft now, which makes you quite the silly sausage.

Sure, it’s exciting to be able to start making up your line-ups, but preseason hasn’t even begin yet!
There is still plenty of time for injuries, insight and idiocy to see players burn and turn themselves out of the season before it even begins.

Be patient young grasshopper, the season is long.

Buc’ing Knee

Sad news for the TB Bucs, as starting centre for Ryan Jensen blew out his knee in epic preseason form, making Tommy B vulnerable to start the 2022 season.

As mentioned above (preseason injuries) can wreck havoc on a lockeroom, as the guys you thought would be your pillars, are instead relegated to the bench.

Robert Hainsey will try to jump into the role despite only being in his second year.

Will the Bucs be using bondo and duct tape to make a 2023 playoff run?

It’s starting to look that way.

Pay Deebo

Despite being used in a utility role by the 49ers last season, Deebo wasn’t paid for his jack of all trades-ness.

After complaining to San Fran that he wanted to get paid, and not crippled-they 49ers threw a load of cash at Deebo in a 3 year deal with $58 mil guaranteed and up to $73m in specialness.

Injuries forced San Fran to use Deebo in a more ‘help us’ role last season as the team got snaked by injuries, will they be looking to use him in this capacity this year?

Not if they want to keep him alive.

There’s lots of cash being thrown around the league at speedsters teams hope will lead their teams. Is Deebo going to be too much cash to splash?

Boz Man

Chris Boswell put it through the uprights this week, inking a massive 4 year, $20.5m deal that will see him guaranteed $12.5m, and tying him with Justin Tucker as the highest paid kicker in the NFL.

It’s a far cry from 2015, when Boswell had already been cut by the Steelers three times, and was slotted as fourth on Pittsburgh’s kicking roster.

The 31 year old Boswell has ‘no pressure’ on him this year.

Would you rather have Boswell or Tucker on your fantasy team?
Exactly.

Watch this space, as we will have some NFL Fantasy news for you to make your season fun!