Twickenham to join Wembley in hosting American football

American football's governing body the NFL have confirmed that at least one match will be played at the home of English rugby from next October.

Three 'regular-season' games will be played over a three-year period at Twickenham.

“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.”

Two matches per year will be hosted by Wembley Stadium while two matches per year will be staged at White Hart Lane when Tottenham's ground is redeveloped with a capacity of around 58,000 in 2018.

A crowd of 83,624 watched the Kansas City Chiefs complete a 45-10 win over the Detroit Lions at Wembley on Sunday.

England's national football stadium first hosted the NFL in October, 2007 when the New York Giants edged the Miami Dolphins 13-10.

“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.”

It surely cannot be a ridiculous prospect to envisage a franchise playing out of London. It has been discussed in the past, but with all these commitments to playing matches in and around London, there is clearly a strong appetite for the sport in the UK with the travelling in and out of the UK capital obviously not a problem in terms of time difference and preparation for matches.

Chancellor George Osborne has already spoken to the NFL and the owners of Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets about a franchise moving to London. Waller has said building a fanbase for a franchise would take until 2021 or 2022, but has intimated the long-term goal of the NFL was a franchise playing out of London. With the additiion of Twickenham and White Hart Lane to Wembley as host grounds for American football, it appears merely a matter of time.