NFL in London

National Football League in London

NFL international series

Tottenham Game Spots

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We’ve got another 2 London NFL games coming up, so we thought we would offer you up some Tottenham Game Spots for before and after the game.

Many London stadium going folk know that the newbie Tottenham Stadium is a little rough around the edges neighbourhood-wise, but like the once-ominous Wembley Stadium, the hood is on the rise.

Still, it’s widely accepted that Wembley overs a better experience OUTSIDE the stadium, while Tottenham Hotspur Stadium offers a better time INSIDE the gates.
Tottenham has spent a lot of money and thought on the fan drinking and eating options, so if you’ve never been inside before, you should be impressed.

A few early game day info:

  • Rail and tube strikes will persist throughout the week-Wednesday and Friday suck
  • Weather forecast is 25c (80f) and cloudy-perfect October conditions
  • Rugby World Cup Weekend-England, Ireland Scotland play Saturday-few games Sunday
  • Tottenham Stadium is congested to leave-consider a few local drinks before heading out

Tottenham Bars

Many of the bars around Tottenham are ‘blue and white’ faithful, meaning they are traditional Spurs drinking establishments.
This won’t matter to NFL fans unless you steam in covered in full Arsenal gear and acting like a Gooner.

BeaverTown-Corner Pin

If you’re looking to quaff fancy beers with whiffs of bergamot, BeaverTown is the £7 pint for you.

Located right across from the stadium, this ‘craft’ (Heineken) brew pub is a convenient place to try out some of Beavertown’s more unique samplings.

It’s easy to find, and has a lovely little garden, but gets as heaving as Tik Tok eating contest after an hour.
Plan to get there early.

https://beavertownbrewery.co.uk/pages/corner-pin

The BeeHive

This place is also buzzing with activity on game day, thanks to a spacious beer garden and independent pub feel.

Tucked away, yet still close to the stadium. The Beehive is a traditional sports pub, which means fans can scoot there after the game to get their fix of NFL and Redzone.

It always helps to book ahead if you’re going to bring a big group there.

https://beehiven17.com/

Antwerp Arms

A recently renovated community pub, The Antwerp Arms is bustling on gameday, as they have not only a solid menu, but sports on TV.

Those NFL fans looking for a Real Ale pub will be pleasantly pleased with the selection on offer tap wise, and the large patio is a great place to unwind on what looks to be a pretty sweet day.

Booking ahead is wise as this place gets very busy.

https://www.antwerparms.co.uk/

Elbow Room

Across the street from the Antwerp Arms is the Craft Union pub Elbow Room.

The pub has a great selection of beers, as well as TV to catch the sport on. It isn’t a pub that has food, but many of these places will allow you to bring in something from the kebab shop, provided you are respectful.

Elbow Room is open until 11pm, which gives you plenty of time to get sauced before you ride the rails home.

https://www.craftunionpubs.com/elbow-room-tottenham

Ferry Boat Inn

Further afield than the previous pubs but worth the view is the Ferry Boat Inn located on Lockwood Reservoir in Tottenham.

With a massive patio overlooking some water, the Ferry Boat Inn doesn’t feel like you’re in London at all.
50 tables plus, a jovial atmosphere, while curious mutts approach you at this dog friendly pub.

While the Ferry Boat Inn doesn’t have TVs to whet your NFL whistle, it is a great place to get away and chill before or after the mayhem of the stadium.

https://www.pubanddining.co.uk/ferry-boat-tottenham

Hackney Brewery

Across the water, but still a nice stroll away is the massive Hackney Brewery Taproom.

Filled with glorious taps of beer, plenty of outdoor seating, and even it’s own hotdog stand, the Hackney Brewery is an independent spot that the locals love.

If you have a big group, this is an amazing place to meet before the game to sneak in a few lovely, and affordable pints.

Sadly this place won’t be showing any of the NFL games, but it’s open until 11, and fans can soak up the afternoon sun on the patio while easily making their way to Northumberland Park station which is less than 10 minutes away.

Heck, you could even rent some of those electric bikes near the station and make it an even easier journey.

https://www.hackneybrewery.com/

Other Areas

The good thing about Tottenham, is that it is close to loads of other cool areas that you might want to try as party places before or after the game.
Here are some other local Tottenham Game Spots.

Wood Green

It’s not as stabby as it once was, which is a good thing for Wood Green. It’s also walkable to the stadium, giving a nice 20-30 minute journey through some side streets that also have their own pubs.

Wood Green is easily accessible via transit, and has a McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and some of the finest Turkish food your drunken belly could easily slop up.

Finsbury Park

Down the road from the stadium is the even more thriving area of Finsbury Park, which has seen an influx of students to make the place cool again.

There are plenty of late night haunts to pull you in, from sports bars, to pubs and even Rowan’s bowling lanes which are an iconic part of the area, and also open late.

Highbury and Islington

Hip with the kids, but getting sketchier since covid is the main high street action of H&I.

If you’re looking to amble and find plenty of later Sunday options, this is a potential destination, as it has places like the American rock bar Slim Jim’s open until the wee hours.

Old Street

Near the even hipper area of Shoreditch is the roundabout Old Street, which has some nifty little joints to check out.

RoadTrip is open very late on a Sunday, and even shows plenty of NFL games on their indoor and outdoor TVs. Sports Bar & Grill Old Street is also quite big, and suitable for those who want NFL galore.

Hope that this helps you on your trip to Tottenham Stadium for the next two games.

Don’t forget, you can also get a FREE beer by signing up to the series of Thames Cruises hosted by Tailgreeter.
Here is the next one.

Tailgreeter Thames Cruise-Bills vs Jaguars

https://tailgreeter.com/tailgate-the-thames-buffalo-bills-vs-jacksonville-jaguars-in-london

 

 

 

Week 1 Picks

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The 2023 NFL season is finally here, as Ryan and Wade blow out a podcast with their Week 1 Picks.

So many great games going on this week, and the boys take the time to go through ALL of the games, offering some of their best advice this early on in the season.

Week 1 can be a crap shoot in the NFL, as teams try to figure out themselves, while trying best an opponent doing the same.

Which team will be set and balanced the best for the start of week 1?

To listen to the whole dang podcast, make sure that you click the link here to listen to it.

So which games are the guys most interested in, and which ones might be worth taking a look at for you betting value?
Let’s take a look at some of the best ones that Wade and Ryan like for Week 1 Picks.

Choice Picks

Texans at Ravens (-10) + 43.5

Lamar loves to light up week one historically, so the odds are that the Ravens might surpass the 10 points offered to them in the spread against the loveless Houston Texans.
CJ Stroud, Dameon Pearce and the tough Houston D might have an answer for the Ravens as they visit the set of ‘The Wire’, but will they be the right answers?
Ryan loves Lamar and Baltimore to stomp the bigness out of the Texans, and put up a solid and crushing domination of the visitors. He also likes Lamar to have a lovely fantasy day as well, with him spreading the ball around.
Wade is a little suspicious of the spread this early on, and 10 points has known to be a tough call having not seen either of these two teams.
While he does like the Baltimore Ravens to win, he thinks that the Texans might keep it close thanks to their reliance on the running game in the second half.
Ryan-Ravens 31 Texans 17
Wade-Ravens 30 Texans 23

Bengals (-2.5) vs Browns + 47

Cincy has just signed QB Joe Burrow to ‘big daddy bucks’, making him the highest paid quarterback on the planet (for now).
Will this influx of money, and the closeness of defeat last season propel the Bengals to the AFC top spot?
The Browns have no expectations this year, as pundits look beyond Deshaun Watson, perhaps the best running back in the game, and a D that features a still cagey Myles Garrett.
So why the hate when they dummied Cincinnati in a game last year?
Ryan likes the Browns to upset the Bengals, and sees Mixon getting nixon’d by that tough Cleveland D.
He likes the Browns in a field goal game.
Wade agrees with Ryan, which is weird to have their both shared upset so early on, but there you go.
Wade likes the Browns at home, and thinks that the Ohio fervour will take Cleveland to victory.
Ryan-Browns 24 Bengals 21
Wade-Browns 28 Bengals 24

Bucs at Vikings (-6) +45

How you like the Vikings this year? No, really.
Kirk Cousins and co. got rid of Dalvin Cook, but they still have that double J that crushes you as the best wide receiver right now.
Can the Vikings D answer back when they get shot down though?
Baker Mayfield is baking in Tampa, with a slew of star receivers who are under appreciated.
The Bucs defence has also been whittled away since the shine of Tommy left the stadium, and there are questions as to the durability of the whole team.
Ryan is taking the Vikings at home, and thinks that this should be a solid win against a shaky team, giving Minnesota that first push in the NFC North.
Wade is calling an upset here, plugging Baker and the boys to throw a monkey wrench into the Minnesota launch.
Sometimes you look ahead too much, and don’t see an opponent with nothing to lose right out of the gates.
That’s what could happen to Minnesota on Sunday.
Ryan-Vikings 24 Bucs 20
Wade-Bucs 21 Vikings 20
That’s it for our Week 1 Picks podcast, make sure that you listen in to the next one, where we lament how poorly we did.
Thanks for listening, and have a great week 1.

Best Places in London to Watch NFL

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Another season is about to kick off and reward us all with football greatness, but where are the Best Places in London to Watch NFL?
Well, we’ve got you covered with our list for 2023.

As a group who have been promoting and hosting live NFL viewing parties over the past 18 years across the capital, we have quite a bit of knowledge of the sport viewing landscape.

Any punter will tell you that after Covid, the whole bar and entertainment industry took a punch on the chin.
Independent pubs shuttered, quality staff found other work, and the price of pints continued to rise.

As promoters, we look to offer people the best value and service when it comes to hosting NFL nights.
Sure, we might hold things to a North American standard, but why shouldn’t we, when he have always attempted to deliver that threshold across all of our events.

So these are just our independent thoughts on almost 20 years of watching and promoting the NFL across the UK.

1. Home

Home?!?! What a lame answer to start this list off!

Well, not really if you’ve seen the price of a London pint recently, as they near ever closer to the £8 range.
When we first started promoting the NFL in London, pints were still in the £3 range, and pitchers were £10.
Those were the days!

It’s not just the crazy price of booze at London pubs and bars, but there is also the Rugby World Cup and Premier League to throw wrenches into the works of NFL viewing.
With many times and dates over-lapping with the NFL, UK-centric bars are more likely to NOT put on the NFL, with so many Sundays in contention.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will take place MOST Sundays until Week 7 of the NFL, with games airing between 4-10pm GMT.
If you’ve never experienced a RWC during the NFL season, then you’ll quickly find out that rugby trumps American football in the UK.
They might SAY they are showing NFL, and then bartender changes the channel.
Too bad.

With DAZN taking over from Gamepass, there also hasn’t been a commercial license on offer, which means it could be illegal for many bars and pubs to show the NFL, taking us back to 2013.

Independent pun chains have also been swallowed up over the past few years, gobbling up former sports bars, and then cutting costs, taste, and fun when they rebrand it into a corporate image.
Sadly these chains are very inflexible, and demand that promoters must increase attendance week on week.
Not worth it when half the customers have to pop over to McDonald’s because the food is so dire.

When’s the last time you threw a truly awesome, NFL party?

The best NFL nights are when you have hook a few devices up to Gamepass, and invite over some friends, foes, or just fellow fans you met on social media for a few bevies and a game.

You’ll not only save lots of money, but maybe make some new friends in the process!

2. Famous Three Kings

This Fulham sports bar has a legendary status in the city, as it always seems to be the ‘go to’ place for sports viewership.

Located in West London in the posh bit of town, the Famous Three Kings has been a perennial favourite for sports fans looking to stare at loads of TVs across a cavernous pub.

Although part of a large chain, the food isn’t as abysmal as those burgers with the pre-grilled marks on them that you find in some chains.

Like many London sports bars, it closes at 10pm on Sundays.

Find out more here.

https://www.crafted-social.co.uk/famous-three-kings-west-kensington

3. King Sports Bar-Empire Casino

Leicester Square has also changed in recent years, going from a glitzy West End destination, to a urine soaked playground for the drug addled and destitute.
Great place for a night out.

The King Sports Bar at the Empire Casino benefits from not only having loads of TVs on the go with NFL action, but also being open 24 hours for your viewing, and gambling pleasure.

NFL fans will be happy to have a place to watch the games, and be centrally located enough to be able to snag a night bus home.

The food is rather mediocre, which is why it’s good to have a lot of late-night food options to explore.

https://www.thecasinolsq.com/kings-sports-bar

4. Bodeans-Soho

Bodeans is the original Canadian BBQ joint, that has a long, and storied history in Soho.

Famous for their burnt ends, Bodeans also has two floors of TV action, with NFL and Saturday College Football on tap.
Speaking of on tap, they also have a ridiculously good selection of beer and top North American food.

Of all of the London pubs, Bodean’s has the best NFL food bar none.
However, they do close at 10pm, so you won’t be able to watch the late games.

https://bodeansbbq.com/soho/

5. Sports Bar-Marylebone

One of our OG locations back in 2008, the Sports Bar Marylebone found fame due it being across from the Landmark Hotel, where many of the teams, players and cheerleaders have stayed.
The fact that Jerry Rice could walk in, sit down beside you and order wings made it a crazy place to go.

Time has seen the Sports Bar & G bought by new owners, who dropped down the food quality, but marked up the prices, so authenticity is lacking in the food, and their pints have rocketed to top end London prices.

The bar does benefit from being on the train to Wembley, making it a good place to start and finish after the game.

https://www.sportsbarandgrill.co.uk/marylebone

There are loads of other places that say that they will show NFL, but will also refuse to put it on when people show up, or just turn it off at the whim of a manager.
We can’t recommend any of these places, as we have worked with many before, and they are horrible.

Promote Your Venue

If you’re a venue looking to promote your NFL nights, let us know!

 

AFC West Peek

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The preseason is finally done, as the boys take a look at the AFC West Peek in a hot new podcast.

The Chiefs look to rule the roost for yet another year, with their eyes on repeating as Super Bowl champs, but does anyone in this division look to stop them?
Wade and Ryan discuss it all in the latest podcast, if you want to have a listen, just click right here!

Among some of the other stuff that the guys discuss in this episode.

Trey Lanced

Talk about a butt-fumble, as the San Francisco 49ers traded away their ‘precious’ Trey Lance, in a deal that makes them look like total schmucks.
After tossing out first round drafts like candy to acquire Lance, they leveraged part of their future, and gave Miami plenty of weapons in whimpering trade with the Cowboys to put Lance out to pasture.
San Fran has been in the playoffs since acquiring Trey, yet he had zero impact on the team, nor on their wins.
The fact that they moved heaven and earth to acquire the 3rd ranked Lance, to then just dump him off to Jerry must sting the young man quite a bit.
All he has to do know is wait for Dak to go down.

Jacobing

Josh Jacobs finally gets paid, as the Las Vegas Raiders finally shifted some cash in the cushions to pay the man to a 1 year deal for close to $12 million.
As running backs around the league look for leverage in a age of RB-Hate, Josh is able to return to the Vegas fold, and put up some of the only yards that Jimmy G’s arm can’t reach.
Too bad the Raiders O-line is going to make it difficult for Jimmy and Josh.

Rodgers That

Aaron Rodgers did the impossible, and played in a preseason game this week for the first time in years.
Head coach Saleh wanted to get Aaron used to playing in his new home, and he quickly declared that the Jets are ‘ready to go.’
Too bad commercial directors didn’t get Rodgers to ‘warm up’ for some of the horrible commercials he’s been in, which is why he was probably cut from being the State Farm spokesman.
Want that Rodgers rate? Your screwed now cheesehead.

Jimmy G

Jimmy Graham was arrested a few weeks ago for appearing to be intoxicated in public, which later was determined to be a medical episode for the Saints TE.
Many fans were surprised to hear that Jimmy STILL plays for the Saints, after they brought the 36 year-old back to New Orleans for one last time.
Thankfully Jimmy has recovered, and the Saints must be happy with an ESPN prediction that gives them a 60%+ chance of making the playoffs this year.
Likely?

AFC West Peek

Wade and Ryan are also back with another prediction of an AFC Division, this time they turn their gaze to the West.
Mahomes and Reid have been a powerful tandem in the West, and with another Super Bowl ring on their fat fingers, it seems likely that they will once again look to dominate the division.
But what about the other teams that are looking to slug their way to the playoffs?
The Raiders are going to struggle this season, with the often-injured Jimmy G sure to only make 50% of the games this season.
Add to that problems on both sides of the line, and Vegas could find themselves ‘tanking for Caleb’ as the season wears on.
Russell Wilson will need some new recipes this season if he wants to feed hungry Broncos fans.
Sean Payton is going to have to turn this ship around, but can Russ even cook anymore, or has the hunger strike hit home?
The Chargers of LA are hoping that their recent signing of QB stud Justin Herbert will finally put them on track to start making repeat playoff appearances.
There’s a lot of age on that team, and it will be curious if Herbert can rally them for one last ride.

Promote NFL at Your Bar

Looking to promote the NFL at your bar or pub?
Get in touch and we can help you get regular bums in seats every week!

Early Super Bowl Odds

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It might be only August, but we thought we would offer some Early Super Bowl Odds for everyone to take a look at, or even take a punt on.

Odds On

There are a lot of great teams in the mix this season, and if you exclude the obvious favourites like the Chiefs and Eagles, you can find some value in those teams that might just sneak into the show.
Those plucky teams that snipe through on a barely winning season to capture the title and take the Lombardy.

Here are a few of our teams to look at early on. Please note that these odds were chosen in August 2023.

Ravens (+1800)

Eighth ranked to take the title this year, are the rejuvenated squad from Maryland, with Lamar steadily at the helm this season.

Baltimore loaded up on wide receivers and running backs to take the edge of LJ, and the defence has been as fierce as has it ever has been, with some key rookie additions.

The Ravens are worth a bet to sneak through the slugfest that will be the AFC, and take themselves to the big game if they remain healthy.

Saints (+3500)

What the who dat day? The Saints?

Yes, New Orleans has the chance of sneaking through via a horrible division, and the potluck Chuck of possibly moving through a sluggish looking NFC aside from a few.

Derek Carr could be motivated to light up Michael Thomas and Olave, and their running game has always been solid.

It’s all about staying healthy, and if the Saints can do that, why not take a chance on them to go to the Super Bowl?

Panthers (+7000)

Oh Carolina, are you getting Shaggy with us?

Maybe, but let’s Frank the Reich out of this situation.
The Panthers have had a solid D for the past few seasons, the running game was great, but it was the QB that sunk them.

Bryce Young has the benefit of being surrounded by a trio of veteran wide receivers in Adam Thielen, DJ Chark, and Leviska Shenault Jr. and TE Hayden Hurst, and maybe they can sling enough W’s to get out into a playoff rumble.

The NFC has the best odds for crazy value, but of course.

LA Chargers (+2200)

The Chargers might be tenth favoured to win the Super Bowl, but there are still five AFC teams ahead of them.

Justin Herbert has that new contract smell about him, as he awaits the slave labour contract that is about to slapped on Austin Ekeler for wanting fair pay.

Once all that malarky is settled, the Chargers have that mix of veterans and rookies that might be able to gel together to make it work.

Keenan Allen is a reliable number one, but it remains to be seen if he can last a whole season.
Losing Herbert too would stick LA with Easton Stick, which is their back-up and a baseball bat name.

That being said if the Chargers can navigate the healthy waters of the seasonal slug, they could rally their squad to finally win some playoff games.
The hometown could be proudish.

Other Odds

Some other ones to look at if you want to take an early season punt on a Super Bowl hope:

Jaguars +2800

Why the heck not? The Jags and Trevor Lawrence could get cooking, plough through their division and get themselves a playoff glide.

49ers +900

Yeah, they’re fourth ranked, but they have a win it or else culture about them this season. Look for Sam Darnold to be a fantasy leader here via a great O line.

Bears (+5000)

Because why the hell not?

Justin Fields could ball out like a mother-trucker this season, and the D could magically find ways to stop people.

Stranger things have happened.

Who do you think could win it all?