The National Football League (NFL) has granted three franchises UK marketing rights as part of its Global Markets Programme.
Following the expansion of its programme, the NFL has announced that the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs have gained UK and Ireland rights, whilst the Baltimore Ravens will look to grow its fandom across just the UK.
The Global Markets Programme, established in 2022, offers teams global marketing rights. This has seen franchises grow fan bases outside of the US through fan engagement initiatives, international matches, commercial deals and grassroots development.
Henry Hodgson, General Manager of UK and Ireland for NFL, commented: “We’re thrilled to see the continuous growth of the Global Markets Programme in the UK and Ireland, with three additional teams joining existing clubs across markets.
“The Chiefs, the Packers and the Ravens are fantastic franchises and the ability to partner with brands like theirs to promote the NFL in the UK and Ireland is increasingly important as our fandom continues to grow.”
The Packers and the Ravens have gained access to international markets for the first time because of this expansion. However, the Chiefs have taken part in the programme in previous seasons, including Austria, Germany, Mexico and Switzerland.
Following the addition of these three teams, nine NFL franchises now have UK marketing rights. American football has grown exponentially in the UK, with the annual games at Wembley, and now more recently at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, consistently attracting large crowds.
Since the launch of the programme, the league has explored the possibility of playing regular-season matches in other countries, as well as increasing the number of games played at existing stadiums.
Commenting on planned matches in the UK and Ireland, Hodgson added: “We’ll have a full slate of international games in markets this upcoming season – three in London and one in Dublin – and we look forward to working with each team to engage our international fans.”
Hodgson spoke to Insider Sport earlier this year about the programme and the NFL’s ambitions to become a “truly global sport”. To watch the full interview, click HERE.
