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NFL team in London would earn 150 mln USD for British economy: Osborne

Xinhua, October 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

London became a step closer Friday to becoming the home of an American football team when British Chancellor George Osborne hosted a meeting with NFL executives at 11 Downing Street.

The Chancellor met with NFL team owners, executives and star players ahead of this year's first NFL game this weekend at Wembley Stadium.

The owners of the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets as well as Mark Waller from the NFL discussed with Osborne the steps that would need to be taken to encourage a team to locate in London.

Osborne cited studies showing an NFL franchise based in London would generate more than 150 million U.S. dollars a year for the British economy.

The Chancellor last fall announced his ambition to bring the NFL to London permanently, cementing London as a global sporting capital. Since then the NFL have been in talks with HMRC and Treasury officials to examine the opportunities for an NFL team being based in Britain and discuss any barriers they currently faced.

In a statement issued through Downing Street Friday, Osborne said: "I want London to be the global sporting capital. That's why I am supporting the NFL to bring one of their 32 teams to London permanently and I will work with them to make this happen. This would be a huge boost to our capital city. I'm doing everything I can to make it happen so that London scores a touchdown."

Waller, NFL Executive Vice President, International, said: "We continue to be overwhelmed by the response we get in the UK and are delighted to be helping to make London the capital of world sport this weekend. Everything we experience in London highlights a huge demand for more NFL here. We enjoyed a very positive discussion with the Chancellor today about making that a reality."

Stephen Ross, Owner of Miami Dolphins, said: "As the NFL continues to grow in the UK it is very exciting to have the support of Mr Osborne and his colleagues in government."

Woody Johnson, Owner of New York Jets, said: "We are very excited about the growth of the NFL in the United Kingdom, and the support of Mr Osborne and his colleagues going forward is very valuable."

Osborne also met NFL Hall of Famers Dan Marino and Curtis Martin, who are in London ahead of the Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets game this Sunday. They exchanged a Rugby World Cup 2015 ball and a NFL gold Superbowl 50 ball as a sign of their commitment to bringing the sport to London.

This year three games are being played at Wembley. The three teams that will play regular season games in the UK for the first time in 2015 are the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets. This will mean that 20 different NFL teams will have played in the International Series in London since it began in 2007. Endit