NFL Advances Three German Cities as Potential Hosts
Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich will be considered as future regular-season hosts
Posted On: October 12, 2021 By :The National Football League is in discussion with three cities in Germany to host regular season games in years to come. After an initial period of expressions of interest, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich will proceed to the candidate phase of the process, which will include deeper conversations about which city may emerge as the first German city to host a game in the league.
The NFL will stage its 30th game in London this weekend, having played there since 2007. Germany is seen as the next area of European expansion.
“Regular-season games are a key part of continuing the development of our German fan base by creating more excitement for the sport and more connectivity with fans and communities,” said Brett Gosper, NFL head of Europe and UK. “The strong interest we have received from German cities underlines what a fantastic opportunity this is for a host, ranging from the significant economic benefits and global exposure to the chance to become a hub for the growth of the NFL’s fan engagement, community and grassroots activities.
“As well as identifying a stadium that is fully capable of handling the logistics of an NFL game, we want to work with a host consortium that comprises local and regional government, stadium ownership, local stakeholders and potential commercial partners. We want this to be a long-term partnership.”
The NFL estimates that it has 19 million fans in Germany. In addition, weekly NFL television viewership on ProSieben and DAZN has grown by more than 20 percent annually since 2017, and Super Bowl LV marked the third consecutive season of record German Super Bowl viewership. Germany is also a leading market outside North America for NFL Shop sales, fantasy football participation and sales of the Madden NFL video game.
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