LONDON -- The first 70,000 tickets for the NFL's third regular-season game in London have been sold, with 20,000 bought in the first seven minutes of availability, the NFL said Tuesday.
Barrett Ruud chat
In a chat on NFL.com, Buccaneers LB Barrett Ruud commented on the opportunity to play in London, saying, "I'll get a chance to play in part of the world I've never seen before." Full transcript ...
The New England Patriots will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 25 at Wembley Stadium. The previous two NFL games in London also were sellouts.
"We have been delighted with the way fans have got behind the game, especially considering the challenging economic climate," NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said in a statement. "The response is indicative of the must-see nature of our game and the place it has cemented in the UK sports calendar.
"Now that people who signed up for our registry of interest have had an opportunity to buy, we are releasing some tickets for general sale. For this game to have sold even more quickly than the previous two NFL regular-season games in the UK is a testament to the support and loyalty of fans here in the UK and proof of a growing audience for the sport."
In addition to those already sold, a limited number of additional tickets have been made available to the general public at www.ticketmaster.co.uk through this Sunday's Super Bowl.
The NFL first staged a regular-season game in London in 2007, when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10. Last year, the New Orleans Saints beat the San Diego Chargers 37-32.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
