The NFL in Paris, it’s settling! While the league wants to add more and more international destinations to its calendar, Paris is now on the list of possibilities.
We learned about it in an article in the Irish Star. Our colleagues obviously come back to the NFL's interest in Dublin. But from the words of Henry Hodgson, the manager of the league's British office, we learn that France is not far away.
“He has a feasibility study in several European cities and Dublin is one of them,” says Hodgson. “We look at the stadiums, we meet local officials. We take all of this information to digest it and determine next steps.
It's something we do in Dublin, it's done in Paris for example, and in a few other cities around the world too. »
In Europe, the two cities seem to stand out.
“We continue to be interested in all major cities in Europe. At the moment, Paris and Dublin are the ones we are most focused on in Europe. »
The NFL and Paris, slowly but surely
In 2022, the NFL assured that France was “ on his radar. » More recently, in February 2024, our reporter was able to ask the question directly on the sidelines of the Super Bowl, and the situation did not seem to have changed.
But in April, Roger Goodell reopened the field of possibilities by announcing that he was planning up to 16 matches abroad per season.
In Paris, the NFL will surely observe the Stade de France and the Parc des Prince. She will also surely have an eye on what will happen during the Olympic Games this summer.
Officially, it will also take a more global look, and not just financial.
“At the moment, we are primarily looking at the passion of local fans and the opportunity to grow the fan base in the relevant market rather than the revenue generated,” assures Hodgson. »
In this area, Ireland seems to have a slight head start. Firstly because the country has direct links with certain players in the NFL, such as with the Rooney family, owner of the Steelers and of Irish origin.
Because Ireland has hosted matches before, too. The Steelers and Bears faced each other at Croke Park during the 1997 pre-season. Several university matches have taken place in recent years at the Aviva Stadium.
And then because local players, like Charlie Smyth (K, Saints) and Jude McAtamney (K, Giants) have significantly increased interest in their country.
Still, Paris is now officially in the race. And that’s real progress. It will not be in 2025, the year when Madrid will be the new destination, but there is now hope for French supporters.
