WEMBLEY’S proposed £1billion sale to Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham owner Shahid Khan is another leap toward an NFL franchise touching down permanently in the UK.
The FA is ready to accept £600m up front, while the FA could gross another £400m from match day revenue for the venue regarded as the ‘Crown Jewels’ of English football.
And that will allow Pakistan-born American Khan to move his side over to England for their seasons between September and January.
Khan – who has no plans to move Fulham to Wembley and is hoping to rebuild at Craven Cottage – will leave the name of the ground alone.
But he is set to install new tenants if the mega-money deal – which could take months of negotiating – is completed.
And The FA is already preparing to send the England team on the road round the country for autumn games if fixtures clash the NFL schedule.
Khan is likely to have already consulted with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about his plans.
But any relocation of the franchise would still need to be approved by a vote of the 32 NFL team owners.
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Taking a franchise out of the USA for the first time will be a big and controversial call, although it would open up the entire European market given the easy transport links to London.
An FA spokesman said: “We can confirm the FA Board has received an offer for Wembley from Shahid Khan.”
Since 2007, seventeen NFL regular season games have been played at Wembley and one at Twickenham.
Across London, Tottenham will be hosting two NFL matches per-season after striking a deal with the sport bosses.
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Underneath the new football turf, a synthetic grass surface is set for NFL games and other events and separate locker and media rooms have been built to avoid encroaching on Spurs’ facilities.
Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy negotiated the deal, saying: “We shall be delivering the most unique entertainment venue in the world, with the opportunity to bring major events, such as NFL and concerts to Tottenham.”
Last season the Jags made the play-offs for first time since 2007 and lost in the AFC Championship game to the Patriots in a big comeback win.
Mark Waller, NFL executive vice-president of events and international, said: “We are very happy for Shad Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“The potential purchase of Wembley Stadium is a further powerful sign of their commitment to the UK and their vision to help us grow the sport.
“Having stadium options in London has always been critical to the NFL and, in tandem with our 10-year partnership with Tottenham Hotspur, this new relationship would allow for even greater flexibility in scheduling future NFL games in London.”
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Menawhile, Khan insisted the Wembley deal does NOT mean the Jaguars will move to the UK full-time.
In a statement on Fulham’s website, he wrote: “The Jaguars have played regular season home games at Wembley Stadium in each of the past five NFL seasons and will continue to do so at least through the 2020 season.
Game changers
IF the deal goes through, then the Jacksonville Jaguars could be renamed to reflect their new Wembley home.
Here are some suggestions we came up with…
Wembley Wizards
London Royals
Wembley Parkers
Arch Rivals
Brent Bulldogs
“The games the Jaguars play at Wembley are essential to the financial stability of the Jaguars in Jacksonville, which is one of the smallest markets in the NFL.
“If my ownership interests were to include Wembley Stadium, it would protect the Jaguars’ position in London at a time when other NFL teams are understandably becoming more interested in this great city.
“And the stronger the Jaguars are in London, the more stable and promising the Jaguars’ future will be in Jacksonville.”
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