London mayor has ‘high hopes’ of getting NFL team in ‘the next few years’

The overseas market is a huge reservoir of mostly untapped potential for the National Football League, and it could be further capitalized on sooner than we think.

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, hosted a Q&A session on Twitter, during which a user asked him when London might be able to obtain an NFL franchise. Johnson’s response provided hope to throngs of British NFL enthusiasts.

Tottenham, a borough of London, is a viable option for a potential NFL team. The league recently announced a ten-year deal with local English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to play at least two regular season games at the soccer club’s new, state-of-the-art stadium, which is set to open in the area in 2018.

While figuring out the week-to-week travel aspect will always be a concern in any attempted international expansion by the league, the National Football League is certainly no stranger to the London area. Regular season NFL games have been played occasionally in London since 2007 as a part of the league’s International Series. This season will see three games played at London’s Wembley Stadium.

The prospect of not only more NFL games but an actual NFL team overseas is an incredibly exciting one. And who would have thought that the Tottenham Blokes could possibly be the 33rd National Football League team?

H/T CBS Sports