Jaguars owner Shad Khan withdraws bid to buy Wembley Stadium

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/04/26/report-shad-khan-to-buy-wembley-stadium/

Shad Khan to buy Wembley Stadium
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 26, 2018

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In a move that could precipitate an increased NFL presence in London, Jaguars owner Shad Khan is reportedly in talks to buy Wembley Stadium, England’s preeminent “football” field.

The Evening Standard reports that Khan has agreed to pay more than 500 million pounds ($700 million) for Wembley Stadium, which is known as the home of English soccer and has also hosted several NFL games.

The report indicates that Khan’s ownership would result in more American football games being played at Wembley, and possibly even an NFL franchise in London. Khan has repeatedly shot down talk that he wants to move the Jaguars to London, but talk persists that an NFL team could eventually be located there.

The NFL has also invested in the new stadium for English soccer team Tottenham Hotspur, with the league paying to have that stadium built with features including the larger locker rooms required for NFL teams, and a retractable playing surface that allows games to be played either on grass for soccer or field turf for football.

So it’s possible that there could soon be two iconic soccer stadiums in London with strong NFL ties, one which was built with NFL games in mind, and another that is owned by an NFL owner. The league is pouring serious resources into London.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...guars-stable-in-both-london-and-jacksonville/

Shad Khan: I’m buying Wembley to keep the Jaguars stable in both London and Jacksonville
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 26, 2018

Jaguars owner Shad Khan has confirmed he is buying Wembley Stadium, England’s premier soccer field and the home of many NFL international games. But he’s positioning the move not as an attempt to take the Jaguars to London, but as an attempt to strengthen the franchise.

“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,” Khan said in a statement. “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.”

Realistically, however, if Khan finds that playing games in London is more profitable than playing games in Jacksonville, how long will he play just one game a year in London? How soon until it’s two home games in London? Or four? Or all eight?

Those are concerns that some Jacksonville fans will have no matter how much Khan insists he’s dedicated to remaining in the city. Khan is making a big investment in London, which will remain the Jaguars’ second home. And may some day become the Jaguars’ first home.

 

[Merlin]

Been sayin it lol. Read those tea leaves. NFL wants a team in London and all the problems that are cited as to reasons why it can't happen aren't going to matter.

And of course the Jaguars are the best fit ever for London name-wise. Plus they're a team that has playoffs in their future.

I think this is real people.

 

[Prime Time]

Remember also that Shad Khan wanted to buy the Rams at one point.

 

[Karate61]

And of course the Jaguars are the best fit ever for London name-wise.

Curious. Why are the Jags best fit name-wise? Jaguars have a connection to London?

Also, happy that the Rams will not be moving to London anytime soon. Glad that deal isn't hanging over our heads anymore.

 

[Merlin]

Curious. Why are the Jags best fit name-wise? Jaguars have a connection to London?

Also, happy that the Rams will not be moving to London anytime soon. Glad that deal isn't hanging over our heads anymore.

Because the preeminent british company is termed Jaguar... Even though they pronounce it wrong, damn limeys butchering American English wtf...

 

[LesBaker]

NFL wants a team in London and all the problems that are cited as to reasons why it can't happen aren't going to matter.

Many of the reasons discussed are totally relevant. The big one........taxes.

If you were a player would you take that big of a pay cut?

Scheduling will be a nightmare.

And the big one.

Fans embrace a game a year in London. Will they fill the stadium for 8?

Remember also that Shad Khan wanted to buy the Rams at one point.

London Rams sounds terrible.

 

[Loyal]

buh bye, Jaguars...:effemine:

 

[Merlin]

Many of the reasons discussed are totally relevant. The big one........taxes.

If you were a player would you take that big of a pay cut?

Scheduling will be a nightmare.

And the big one.

Fans embrace a game a year in London. Will they fill the stadium for 8?

Agreed Les but point is I don't think the NFL cares. They want London. IMO.

 

[Loyal]

I think if the really want NFL in Europe to work, they will need a European division and not just one team.

 

[Kevin]

The American football league in Europe failed so why would one NFL franchise in London be successful? I don't see it happening in my lifetime.

 

[Loyal]

The American football league in Europe failed so why would one NFL franchise in London be successful? I don't see it happening in my lifetime.

Well, that was a semi pro development league and not the real deal, to be fair (old NFL Europe). Watching real NFL players playing for their cities would be vastly different than what was there before, imo. This might water down the product a bit, but then the talent pool from Europe might help with that.

 

[yrba1]

I'm still trying to comprehend the thought process of NFL owners thinking that expanding a team to another hemisphere is a good idea

 

[MadGoat]

The American football league in Europe failed so why would one NFL franchise in London be successful? I don't see it happening in my lifetime.

I hate the idea, but I'm not sure about your logic. Every pro football league outside of the NFL and Arena League (kind of) have failed. The reason is that they aren't the NFL. This would be an NFL team and come with all of the hype and power associated with the league.

Again, I don't disagree that the idea sucks, but I don't think the failure of a second-rate American football league in Europe has any bearing on the success of an actual NFL team in London.

 

[DaveFan'51]

How many NFL Owners, in resent History have 'Claimed' " I'm not interested in Moving my Team!" and then turned around and done just that!?! It will happen! JMO

 

[DaveFan'51]

I think if the really want NFL in Europe to work, they will need a European division and not just one team.

Would that not require 4 New Teams, and probably a re-shuffle of every Division in Football!?!

"What a Freaking mess that would be!!!!" JMHO

 

[LesBaker]

Agreed Les but point is I don't think the NFL cares. They want London. IMO.

I want a bedroom full of supermodels. Doesn't mean I get it LOL.

This is going to be a hard sell for the NFL. The logistic and financial issues are ginormous.

I think if the really want NFL in Europe to work, they will need a European division and not just one team.

At some point they may try that. But that increases the risk exponentially. Is anyone really sure that the NFL can sell out games in London, with a metro population of nearly 14 million people, when the "novelty" wears off and bad teams are coming to town rather than the better teams?

Adding three other teams to make a division would be the best approach, but would carry the biggest risk.

The American football league in Europe failed so why would one NFL franchise in London be successful? I don't see it happening in my lifetime.

I'll say this. One of the biggest things the NFL should be afraid of after the logistics and finances is what you state here. The NFL was in some of the largest markets in Europe and didn't draw. I just looked and the average game attendance with a total of 490 games played was 19,047.

A case could be made that people didn't want to pay for "minor league" games but prices were not high and people really didn't show up. But. The first two years saw over 1.2 million in attendance. After that the number was LESS THAN HALF of that, some years just one third. A huge drop off to be sure, and that says to me the novelty wore off more than the public not wanting to see minor league players. The number of games dropped, which hurt the numbers but still the public stopped going in huge numbers.

If I was on any committee considering this I would ask/require a Plan B in place in case of the (fairly likely IMO) failure because if they take a couple of billion and possibly close to three billion from a guy to buy a franchise there better be a Plan B that the NFL would foot the bill to transition the team back to the US to Oakland, STL, or San Diego or they will be in for a PR nightmare.

 

[OldSchool]

The Jaguars are not moving sorry. Khan, while buying this stadium, is also investing close to $2 billion in Jacksonville around the stadium. He clearly has seen what Stan is doing and wants the same kind of investment. He'll make his Jags more profitable and he'll make more money off the development around the stadium. What some don't realize is he also owns a Premiere League club that is in London. He owns that stadium as well, but owning Wembley is something most of us Americans can't relate to, it's a national stadium. It doesn't house any one tenant aside from the National Soccer team, and temporarily the Spuds. It hosts national soccer and rugby events it's a chance for him to yet again make more money, even though it needs a little work. This is a pure business move that won't affect the Jaguars or the NFL at all, other than to make the NFL games in London more profitable for the league and it's clubs.

 

[Loyal]

It seems to me that there has to be a shift in thinking about NFL in Europe in general, and maybe England in particular. There is genuine interest for the couple of games a year in London, because it's real NFL football and not the semi pro's as in years past. Because London is so big, a study in current rivalries in soccer should be made. Cities that don't like each other outside of sport might be good as well. Having two teams in each country might be best, and the population is big enough to handle two if general interest in American football can be generated.

I don't think it would be a zero sum gain. Like placing several fast food restaurants near one another, the variety might draw more to the area than just if there was one place. A European division would be as big a risk/change as the AFL/NFL merger....But as the saying goes: "go big, or go home." or stay home, as it were...

 

[Loyal]

The Jaguars are not moving sorry. Khan, while buying this stadium, is also investing close to $2 billion in Jacksonville around the stadium. He clearly has seen what Stan is doing and wants the same kind of investment. He'll make his Jags more profitable and he'll make more money off the development around the stadium. What some don't realize is he also owns a Premiere League club that is in London. He owns that stadium as well, but owning Wembley is something most of us Americans can't relate to, it's a national stadium. It doesn't house any one tenant aside from the National Soccer team, and temporarily the Spuds. It hosts national soccer and rugby events it's a chance for him to yet again make more money, even though it needs a little work. This is a pure business move that won't affect the Jaguars or the NFL at all, other than to make the NFL games in London more profitable for the league and it's clubs.

Get your London Jags gear while it's hot, Old School!

 

[Kevin]

Les, I think you are right that the novelty wore off but I don’t think it matters that the World League of American Football was a developmental league. An incomplete pass looks the same to most Euros whether it’s thrown by Casey Bramlet or Tom Brady. It was a novelty in Europe for a while. The WLAF games had plenty of scoring and everything else that makes football fun to watch, but the league folded anyway. American football in any form just isn’t popular in Europe, especially at NFL prices.

The reverse is true too, IMO. Premier League Football has not spread to the USA simply because too many Americans find it tedious to watch. Incredibly popular in Europe, South America, and Africa but it does not get the same traction in North America despite so many American kids playing recreational soccer and even some professional teams coming and going here. They know that soccer is just a novelty here, as we get mildly excited when the World Cup comes around.