NFL Players Eagerly Anticipate Wembley Games
London's Wembley Stadium will host two NFL International Series games in September and October and on Tuesday (July 16) several players took the chance to view the ground.
Minnesota Vikings will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 29 and Jacksonville Jaguars will play the San Francisco 49ers on October 27.
The Jaguars are owned by Shahid Khan, who has also bought Fulham Football Club in London, and will play three more games at Wembley over the next three years.
Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said of Wembley on Tuesday: "Gorgeous. Getting good feels for the acoustics because the 'England!' chant keeps going on in the background, so that's pretty sweet. No, I'm excited for it. It's going to be -- it should be a fun, fun day. If it's anything like a, you know, I guess, you know, American soccer match -- football match for you guys -- it should be fun eh?"
Allen, whose 117 sacks rank second among active NFL players, said the best-prepared team would win and he was excited to be helping spread interest in NFL around the world.
"You know I think the team that is able to prepare, you know remember it's a regular season game. Just because we're abroad, you know, if they can, if they can not be distracted by the attractions and you know, of being in another country and what that entails the, you know, the best-prepared team will win. I think that's how it usually plays out. But it works out for -- I understand how I am, I'm excited to come over. I think, you know, to be part of the experience, to be part of the generation of the NFL that's expanding the game globally, you know, that's something that you look back on when you're retired and in the end you tell your kids about," said Allen.
Jacksonville Jaguars Guard Uche Nwaneri said he and his team mates wanted to show British fans the best of NFL action over the next four years.
"I think the guys have embraced it pretty well, you know. We're going to be the home team here for the next four years and I think guys are really looking at that as an opportunity for the team to build a fan base here, you know. It's almost like having a second, you know, a second home and being a second home team.
"So guys are really looking forward to it and it's going to bring a great energy just simply because you're in a different environment with people who, you know they don't necessarily watch our sport on a week-to-week basis like they do in the U.S. so you know, you want to show them the best of what we can do. So I really feel like it's going to, it's going to be a great experience for us over the next four years," said Nwaneri.
Presented by Adam Justice