Wembley Stadium

Jacksonville Jaguars 23-7 Atlanta Falcons

1st October 2023

I suppose like many Brits of a certain vintage, the first time I encountered American Football (or just Football or Gridiron, if you wish) was through the highlights show first transmitted on Channel 4 in the 1982.  Nicky Horne presented the show initially, if memory serves, along with some American presenter, before being ousted to make way for some former player Frank Gifford.  Horne's laid back approach clearly not bringing enough razzamatazz to the business for the show's producers.  And I pretty much lost interest after that.

Like most Brits who had been introduced to the sport via the regular highlights programme, I "adopted" a team.  In my case, The Houston Oilers.  Not because the were any good (they were not), but simply because Houston is a Scottish name.  There is a village of that name in Renfrewshire and, of course, who could ever forget the soccer colossus who was (and remains to this day) Doug Houston.

As often appears the way with American sports clubs, the Oilers were some time later uprooted from Houston to Tennessee, and that was that for me.  The city of Houston hosts another side these days, The Houston Texans, but the thrill has gone.

Since 2007 the National Football League (NFL) has been playing regular season matches in London (and, later Mexico and Germany) in an (it has to be said, rather successful) attempt to further raise the profile of the sport beyond the shores of the US.  Attendances at the London events - held over the years at Wembley, Twickenham and latterly Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - have never failed to attract less than 60,000 bods.  There were over 85,500 inside Wembley this afternoon.

This particular match was the first in a three-match 2023 NFL London series, between designated "home" team The Jacksonville Jaguars and The Atlanta Falcons.  I noted this was the Jaguars tenth consecutive visit to the UK capital - a factor which I assume in no small way contributed to the number of Jaguars' replica tops around me inside the stadium.  

Deciding to attack Wembley from the north, as opposed from the city centre,
I took a train from Sunny Solihull.

I liked this tiling inside the station.

Not many bods waiting on the platform, but I would soon see some Jaguars' replica tops once I got on.

As for the match itself, the Jaguars won 23-7 without, to my untutored eyes, being unduly troubled in the process.  The Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Desmond Ridder appeared to get squashed any time he tried to do anything with the ball, and Jaguars' Travis Ettiene seemed to be rather successful at running with the ball.  Beyond that the intricacies of the game passed me by as, from my high vantage point, it just appeared that lots of tiny guys way down there did a lot of running into each other.

But for all that, I really enjoyed the afternoon, and the three hours or so which it took to complete the game never once dragged.  I am pleased I attended an American Football match, but rather doubt I shall be doing so again in London.  Perhaps should I ever find myself stateside once more, I may. 

 

Sam Fender, I think it was, belted out a tune at half-time to everyone's general indifference.

Who are all these guys?

Train back to Solihull.
The scrum to get on was just vicious.
I hung back and got on the next one.