Inside the NFL’s takeover of London: Vikings and Jets put on a show for fans old and new
The scene outside Tottenham Court Road tube station on Saturday morning was very different to how it would usually be. It was impossible to miss.
Immediately upon arriving at the top of the escalators, you were greeted by gigantic purple LED screens and repeated chants of “Skol!”.
This was the Vikings taking over London again, but this time they were from Minnesota. In the heart of the capital, the NFL was reiterating the scale of its ambition to grow the game overseas.
Ahead of the Minnesota Vikings facing the New York Jets to kick off the 2024 NFL London fixtures, the Sports Gazette went to experience the official fan events put on by each franchise.
Vikings Invasion
Firstly, at Outernet London, the groundbreaking central London digital arts venue, which on Saturday was transformed into an “immersive Vikings experience”, complete with a club shop adjacent to it.
The walls were adorned with huge 3D shields, and then Justin Jefferson doing his ‘griddy’ celebration, before the ceiling spectacularly morphed into open air and suddenly you were in US Bank Stadium, but over 4000 miles away.
Outernet London transformed into US Bank Stadium (video)
There were a range of activities for the crowd to partake in, including NFL Combine drills which brought out people’s competitive instinct, even if they needed slightly more convincing to do their best Viking impression.
Additionally, you could use the interactive touch screens to tap on any player and find out more about them, and the open venue meant visitors could come and go as they please, with the aim certainly being to draw in those who happened to be in the area.
We spoke to a Vikings staff member who told us that the organisation had brought upwards of sixty members of staff solely on the commercial side, emphasising the scope of the operation to enhance their brand overseas.
It seemed to be working. Callum, on a trip to London from Birmingham with his girlfriend, was “just walking past” and was “impressed” by the display. “It seems like the sort of place to come down before a game and get geared up for it”, he said.
He admitted he was not a huge NFL fan, with association football his preferred version, as evidenced by the Newcastle United top he was wearing (which this reporter never fails to miss).
Craig and Keith, who travelled down from Chester for the game, said they had noticed a significant uptake in interest in the sport in recent years.
We bumped into them at both the Vikings and Jets events, and they said they loved the NFL London games because “you see every fan from every team, from all over the UK and beyond”.
At the centre of the whole show was ‘Jeff the Ref’, whose infectious enthusiasm set the tone for the whole event and managed to drag in plenty of bystanders, including the Sports Gazette. Thankfully, the footage of us dancing has been lost.
“It’s absolutely huge what it’s doing for the game”, said Jeff. “We’ve got Europeans, we’ve got British people, we’ve got people that don’t know anything about football at all, and those are the people we want to try and get in.”
“We’ve even got people from Lithuania!” he told us, before dashing back to lead the troops again.
Jets recreate the Concrete Jungle
If the Vikings’ approach was in-your-face, the Jets took a more subtle approach. Nestled in a side alley off Brick Lane at Ely’s Yard, Shoreditch, was the ‘Touchdown Tailgate’ fan event.
Fans could try the QB Toss and Vertical Jump, win Jets merchandise and tickets, as well as having the chance to meet former Jets full back Tony Richardson. There was a bar with Guinness on tap and a DJ booth, but the event still had a family-friendly atmosphere.
Richardson, who also had spells with the Vikings, Chiefs and Cowboys, and is considered one of the greatest full backs of all time, was enthusiastic at the prospect of the Jets playing in London.
“I think we’ve got more Jets fans over here”, he said cheekily, and a tad optimistically. On the growth of the NFL internationally, he remarked that “it would have been great when I was playing”, as he was born in Frankfurt, Germany.
Whereas the Vikings event seemed more tailored to the new fan, the Jets were aware of their dedicated following and pulled out all the stops to show their appreciation for them. The Shoreditch venue was about as close as you could get to replicating Brooklyn in London.
Among those in attendance were the New York Jets 103 Crew Germany. Founded in 2017, they have been to every home opener at MetLife Stadium since then, and travelled straight on from London to New York for next Monday’s divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Patrick, one of the group’s founding members, was diplomatic about former first-round pick Sam Darnold, saying he was “glad to see him doing well”. He was “excited to see Rodgers, but worried we will lose”.
Spending just a brief amount of time with Jets fans will reveal this innate pessimism they inhabit for their football team, perhaps understandable with no Super Bowl appearances since 1968, but they still convey a true passion for the franchise and it is more a sense of longing for success.
The story of how Pat came to support the Jets illustrates the many different ways new fans can become attached to the sport. The sitcom ‘King of Queens’ is his favourite show, and the star Kevin James is a huge Jets fan.
The Jets also have a dedicated British chapter, Gang Green UK, that were well represented in east London. Set up around a decade ago, they estimate they now have a few thousand members.
One of their own, Frazer Campbell, had the honour this year of being named the Jets’ ‘International Fan of the Year’. He was flown out to Detroit for this year’s NFL Draft and was even able to announce one of the Jets’ picks.
Asked what it’s like to have the Jets on these shores, Frazer remarked: “it’s really good, especially the year I win my award, it’s nice to have them across and hopefully we’ll finally get another win over here!”
He wished Darnold “well this season, but not this weekend” and expressed optimism that the Vikings were “struggling a bit with their pass defense, so hopefully we can take advantage”.
Reflections
Unfortunately for Frazer, that prediction would not ring true. Minnesota held off a Jets fightback to win 23-17, and extend their unbeaten record in London to 4-0. They were the designated ‘home’ team, and it certainly felt like it, with a sea of purple everywhere you looked.
It was more disappointment for the Jets’ passionate fans, as Rodgers struggled and threw three interceptions, with Brian Flores’ Vikings defense continuing to flummox NFL quarterbacks. In the days since, New York fired head coach Robert Saleh, as they look to save a season they were ‘all in’ on.
Away from the field, it was impossible to view the weekend as anything other than a resounding success for the league and its ambitions to grow the sport.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s ultimate vision is to have 16 international games per season, with Brazil another new destination ticked off this year, and he has plenty of reasons to be encouraged.
Data from Viagogo reported by SportsProMedia showed that 2023 was the first year the majority of fans at the NFL London fixtures were UK-based, at 66%, which is a 30% increase over the last five years. International fans also now make up 8% of total ticket sales.
Encouragingly for the Jets, they have the highest proportion of tickets sold to those outside the US and Canada. As anyone in Tottenham on Sunday will testify, the Vikings have a huge fanbase in the UK.
Minnesota (5-0) and New York (2-3) may be experiencing contrasting fortunes on the pitch, but both franchises will feel vindicated by their expansionist strategies and excited for what the future holds.
