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Maybe we can discuss three weeks in London, how did everything go in your opinion? It was fantastic. I was able to attend one of the matches. I watched the other two, and it was clear that the excitement, the level of interest of the fans, their awareness and understanding of the game continued to grow. You watch these matches and it feels like you're in a stadium in the United States. This is simply first class. It's been 19 years. Next year will be 20. Next year is an important year, the 20th year. How do you assess the development over these 19 years?
I think development happens on many levels. Firstly, the growth in the number of fans, which is, of course, important, but it's not just about the number, but about their understanding of the game, their love for it, and their passion. You see how it evolves significantly. It is also very important that we learned a lot. We understood what works very well and what doesn't. We were able, in my opinion, to expand our capabilities. Ultimately, when teams stay for two weeks, whether they're home or away, how do we schedule them, how do we get them back to the States, and when do they fly. All of this, I believe, ultimately gives you better opportunities. It opens doors and I
think it's ultimately good for our fans. Do you think what you've learned over these 19 years, and what you're learning all over the world-does the game open the doors you were talking about? For example, the foundation, the academy, do they provide the opportunity to do much more than just 3.5 hours on the field? Well, I think it's important both in the States and in our global efforts. We don't just want to play a game, we are much more than that. There is so much going on around this game that makes it exciting.
, go through a draft or combine, how you go through training camps and how you manage a team, as well as getting fans involved in these events. And we have to give them more than just games. We look at it as a 365- day calendar, not just of games but of NFL activities, because the sport demands it and people want more access. They want to understand how everything happens. And you're great at providing that kind of access, giving fans a behind-the- scenes look, and we want to do that even more. We talked briefly last time about how London may have been like a "security blanket" for you. Everyone has a blanket like that, right Yes, well said, yes.
Yes, and it allowed you to explore the whole world now. Did that really happen? Was there confidence thanks to this London pattern? Listen, we had a lot to learn when we came to London. So London was the foundation, really. We planted our flag there and said we would try to host regular season games, which is a big step for us. I don't know if people understand that. When you play a regular season game, it matters, and we don't have that many. And these are no longer friendly meetings. I think the main goal for us was to make the event a success, but most importantly, to provide the teams with an experience that they can say, "
This didn't hurt our season." On the contrary, it improved our season. I think we were very lucky in our first year with the Dolphins and Giants. Although at that time neither of them was playing great. But the Giants went on a winning streak that season, and they largely attributed that to spending a week here in London. They spent that time together, they came together as a team, and ultimately, I know Coach Coughlin talks about it all the time, as do the players. Whether it's the foundation of it all-games on Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Eve, Paris or Madrid-you always come back to taking care of the players and coaches.
Certainly. They are the game, aren't they? You want the game to be at the highest level in terms of competition and entertainment, but you also want them to be passionate and understand that the globalization of this game is good for everyone. As players, you become global brands. I think they see it. And I keep thinking about our players in the offseason, I get messages from them, they're all over the world. Yes. And they love to travel. They love the international aspect of life. And I think, um, I think they consider themselves ambassadors, and we're proud of that, because we consider them to be some of the best young people in the world, and
of course they're great athletes, but I think it's their community outreach that sets them apart. You went as far as you could with Australia, which shows courage, right? And confidence. What do you mean by "we came in"? Well, geographically speaking, there's almost nowhere further, right? Well, we're working on it. You will play on the Moon. Hey, anything is possible. Never say never with the NFL. I mean, how happy are you with what happened in Australia?
Oh, we were thrilled. You know, when you look back on it, Neil, and you think about Friday, 10:30 in the morning, when 100,000 people came to an NFL game, it was just incredible. As a country, they love sports, and I think it's more than just a game for them. The whole event, the whole aspect of it. I think we brought the city to a standstill for most of the weekend. Obviously, business on Friday, because everyone went to the game, and it was a real revelation for us to see that this could happen . And that's why we were happy. We will go back there again. As you know, when we run these games, we think long term. Yes.
We don't come to these games to play one match and just say we were there, or just prove we can do it. We want to use this as a launching pad. What do you see the future as, when you have your own plans and thoughts on this or you hear about them from the owners, because I've already asked you 412 times about the franchise in London, haven't I? I think it's somewhere around 412. 413 is coming up. Yes, stay tuned. The 413th is approaching. But we also have a Formula 1 model, so we have two potential options on the table. something you like, or could it lead to something else in the future?
This could lead to something else. I think, you know, Formula 1 actually helped me understand it a little bit better. When I went to the race in Montreal, I think it was like that. I looked at where they compete and how they compete, and it's, you know, not that unusual, right? They compete every week or every two weeks, and it requires a lot of travel, a lot of effort, but also a lot of hardship. But if you do the math, it's about 23 races. And, you know, a few of them are already happening in the States, so if we get to 16, we'll be pretty close to the same number of markets that we cover globally. And you see the power and influence they were able to achieve through this race.
Hopefully we can do this with game strategy. But that doesn't mean we won't look further. You know, at some point we might be able to think about it differently. Would we create an international franchise? Would we create a division? How do we want to think about this? I think as you achieve success, you learn better and understand better what potential exists. But you are also able to balance this risk and reward. And I think that everything we're looking at is thinking about the future, but also being mindful of the risks and rewards. When you look at franchises or a division, do you get into the details, or do you think now: let's develop what we're doing and that will come later, or have you already done the logistical work?
You know, you think about it. An example of when the Vikings were here, I think it was last year? It seems they were stopping between Ireland and London. Yes. The question is how to get players if they are injured or the lineup needs to be changed. How to do it? And that was a great lesson for us. This gave us an idea of what would be needed if there were franchises here. How to transport players back and forth, even for scouts or. So all of that really helps us think about spending 2 or 3 weeks with a team here, and also maybe if there are ever franchises here.
I think so. Listen, it helps in many ways. Firstly, this is additional content. Secondly, I am a big believer in quality. I think that's incredible. I think our international experience was another great example of this. This works for a while until fans become experienced enough to realize that they are not actually seeing the players or teams they would like to see. So, we really saw this come to life. So the more you market, the harder you work, and the more you play, the more experienced your fans become . So you have to give more and I don't think our pre-season games in the States provide that. So we're looking at how do we restructure our season? What is needed now? Do we need three more preseason games?
I think we've proven that. Not long ago there were four of them, we moved to three, the teams are adapting, and this is the most important thing- to adapt and be able to respond to new opportunities and challenges. How exciting it is for you on a business and personal level to lead the league at this time, which feels historic, perhaps also in the context of games around the world. People said the NFL would never play on Christmas, and now you're playing on Christmas, right? But, but, but you. Well, if you challenge us to play on the Moon, then we. Here's your answer. This is your, this is your little goal, boy. But does such courage, this constant look to the future, fascinate you?
Yes, I think it's necessary, and it's our duty, to share our game with others, but I also think that if you start praising yourself for your achievements, you'll quickly fall behind. So we don't look at it that way. We do not perceive the moment as historical. We have a lot of "firsts". It's great that we can celebrate, and our team is incredible in their "let's do this" approach. Let's see the matter through to the end. But I think we're looking more at how to succeed in the long term, rather than looking back. We truly believe this game can go global. There are a lot of fans who want to see it, and we still need to attract a lot more.
We have partners who have been incredible in helping bring our game to the fans. And I just think our best days are still ahead. We just finished our owners meeting earlier this week. The amount of time we spent on international issues was extraordinary. This is no longer just a short report. This took several hours. And I think it just shows you how much the NFL cares about the international aspect of the game. What was it like, if you don't mind, 19 years ago at those meetings? Is n't it? Just a small update. We had other issues that needed to be resolved at the time.
Okay, fair enough. But I think every team has now played in an international match. They see potential. They feel the passion of the fans. They like it. And that applies to everyone: from the owners to the players and everyone else in the organization. And you know, our global markets program, where they're promoting themselves in these markets now, just proves that there's a huge potential here, and the clubs understand that. So the momentum is actually growing. It became more natural in the context of our fan base, our operations, and thinking about what we were going to do. People are already talking about where we will play matches in 2 years.
Mm. Where would you like to go next time? Well, you just mentioned the Moon. So, that's a great idea. Let me ask one more thing about the effect of the gradual spread of this phenomenon. Last week, IMG Academy, the third- ranked high school in America, amazing, right? needed the final field goal to defeat the NFL Academy, which is set to send more players to the first division. So, they already have 50 players playing on Saturdays in first division football. This is life changing. That's right. And the opportunity to receive scholarships is life-changing because it gives them an education. But it also gives them the opportunity to play at the highest level. And that will give them more experience and a better chance of becoming an
NFL player. So this infrastructure has been developed from the very beginning by the IPP, the academy and many other initiatives to give young men and women the opportunity to play this game and benefit from such opportunities, whether through scholarships or through going to the professional level, which allows you to earn a decent income over a period of time, and also play the game that you love. And I think we see these young people playing the game, they love it, and it shows, and I think that in itself is life-changing. It gives people self-confidence, and that's something I think is very important. Lastly, of course, security issues were hot this week. I have to ask you about this. How confident are you in everything that is prepared in Paris for the game on
Sunday? Well, security, as you know, is an issue everywhere we go, and at every game, it changes and evolves. And we're not talking about all of our efforts, but we're being careful, we're being smart, we're working with local and federal authorities, and we're trying to get all the information that will help us run the event in the best and safest way possible for our fans, and of course for all of our attendees and staff. So, we maintain excellent contact with them. We believe they are very focused on this and we will certainly work with them in every way possible to make this event great. Perfectly. Good luck, Roger. See you, see you on the moon.
