“The game in London was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the entire 2007 season,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “The fan interest was tremendous. The passion they demonstrated for our sport that day continued throughout the season, as television viewership in the UK has grown by 40 per cent since the game. We had an overwhelmingly positive response to the event from all involved - the teams, our sponsors and business partners and of course the fans themselves. We look forward to another spectacular event in 2008.”
Details about the game – including the venue and competing teams – are expected to be confirmed during Super Bowl week (January 28-February 3) in Arizona.
The game at Wembley Stadium on October 28, when the Miami Dolphins hosted the New York Giants, was the first-ever regular season NFL game to be played outside North America. A crowd of 81,176 saw the Giants record a 13-10 victory after the NFL received requests for more than half a million tickets within 72 hours of announcing the game.
In 2006, NFL owners approved a plan to stage a limited number of regular-season games outside the United States every year for the next five years.
NFL UK Managing Director Alistair Kirkwood said: “In the build up to the Wembley game last October I said that it was an audition for future games. Clearly, the fans – with their passion and enthusiasm – have convinced the NFL that the UK should be rewarded with another game in 2008. We are very excited as we begin preparations for that game and conclude this historic season next month with BBC TV showing its first-ever Super Bowl and Sky Sports continuing its long-standing relationship with the NFL by airing the game for the 13th straight year.”
