Louisiana becomes French again. Or rather the reverse. The New Orleans Saints arrive in France.
This Tuesday, the NFL announced the development of its international marketing program. At the end of 2021, eighteen teams had divided the priority over eight countries. France was not on the list. A team and two more countries followed a little later. But still not France.
An oversight corrected. It was the Saints who asked for and obtained the priority rights on the French market.
“We are pleased that we have been awarded France as part of the NFL Global Markets Program,” said Gayle Benson, the owner of the New Orleans franchise in a press release. “New Orleans and France have enjoyed a unique cultural connection for centuries. We look forward to working with the NFL and our partners in France to grow American football. In addition to having the opportunity to promote our team in France, we also want to promote our city, our state and bring in investments in our local and regional businesses. »
The franchise’s official Twitter account also made the announcement official, with a delightful “Let the good times roll!” which means absolutely nothing.
Tea #Saints have been granted international marketing rights in France – the first NFL club to select and be awarded the French market! 🇬🇧
The New Orleans Saints have secured international marketing rights in France – the first NFL club to select and see themselves… pic.twitter.com/28aWVEbzCJ
—New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 23, 2023
The New Orleans Saints in France?
If the concrete effects of this marketing program remain to be observed, the news necessarily echoes the idea of a match in France. In November 2022, an NFL executive assured that France and Spain would be on the league’s radar for hosting a game.
At the launch of this marketing plan, the NFL assured that it ” would do his best » for the teams to play in the area assigned to them. This would therefore make the Saints the number one candidate if a meeting ends up taking place in France. But nothing is guaranteed.
In the meantime, the awarding of a contract to a team is above all supposed to be accompanied by marketing, commercial or media initiatives. We will have to see if concrete projects follow the announcement effect.
Elsewhere, Germany has been assigned to the Falcons. The Steelers recover Ireland and Northern Ireland.
