The National Football League has announced a partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) that will see the league play a minimum of three regular-season games at Twickenham Stadium in London over a three-year period.
The deal, which is a first-of-its-kind for the RFU, will start in October 2016, with the matchup for the first International Series game at Twickenham to be announced later this year. The agreement also gives the NFL the opportunity to stage two additional games over the same period.
"We are committed to continuing to grow our sport in the UK and believe that adding Twickenham Stadium to our roster of host venues in London is further evidence of that commitment," said Mark Waller, NFL executive vice president of international. "We are very excited to give our fans the opportunity to enjoy NFL action at another world-class venue famous for attracting loyal and passionate fans from across the globe."
"We are delighted to welcome the NFL to Twickenham, a stadium that has played such an integral role in what has been the biggest Rugby World Cup ever," said Sophie Goldschmidt, the RFU's chief commercial and marketing officer. "The NFL has a strong and growing fan base in the UK, and this, combined with the investments we've made in our stadium will give fans more opportunities to experience the action first-hand at a world-class venue. We look forward to working with the NFL on this partnership."
The NFL recently announced that it has extended its Wembley Stadium agreement, with a minimum of two games per year to be played there through 2020. Earlier this year, the NFL reached agreement with Tottenham Hotspur to play at least two games per year at the Premier League club's new stadium, beginning in 2018.
