LONDON - The establishment of an American football franchise in London could generate over pound sterling100 million ($162 million) a year for the British economy, according to a report published by financial analysts Deloitte on Wednesday.
Quarterback Colt McCoy #16 of the Washington Redskins at Cowboys Stadium on October 27, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. NFL franchise in London could generate over £100 mn ($162 mn) a year for the British economy, a report finds
London hosted its first NFL game in 2007 and last Sunday's match between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions at Wembley Stadium was the 10th match to take place in the city.
The Deloitte report, produced in cooperation with the NFL, found that the two NFL games played at Wembley in 2013 generated around pound sterling32 million and that a four-game series would increase that figure to pound sterling58 million.
It concluded that an NFL team in London could net the United Kingdom's economy pound sterling102 million every season.
British Chancellor George Osborne said last week that the UK government supported the establishment of an NFL franchise at Wembley, after holding a meeting with the league's international vice-president Mike Waller.
The franchise would see Wembley host eight games a season.
However, the report questioned the economic impact of staging the Super Bowl at Wembley, citing concerns over the UK market's "ability to maximise the commercial impact of the Super Bowl", "logistical issues" and "the potential reaction from the core NFL market in the US".
Last month, American football's senior British administrator revealed that plans to base an NFL team at Wembley were being explored in detail.
"We're very interested in exploring the idea of a British-based franchise and seeing if we can pull it off," Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL UK, told BBC Radio Five Live.
"That's the way of making our sport much more mainstream."
Securing an NFL franchise at Wembley would provide a lucrative source of income for the Football Association, which owns the north London stadium.
It could also lead to matches involving the England football team being taken round the country again from 2018.
Last year, Wembley managing director Roger Maslin said he was confident the stadium could stage a whole season of eight NFL games.
"Football is our priority. But yes, I'm absolutely confident that if the NFL wanted to have a franchise here then we could absolutely do it," he said.