Football has a significant craze in almost every country. This sport has a tremendous impact in the UK. For most British people, football is a way of life.
This sport generates a level of passion that confounds one who doesn’t support a football team. But once you choose a team, it is about a life-long commitment. But what do the British think of American football?
Well, when it is about football, the British have mixed feelings about this sport. According to a survey, almost 1,616 British adults consider football as the second-dullest sport to watch. On the contrary, nearly 20% of the population of the country finds this game exciting. However, British people have some different craze for NFL.
What Do The British think of American football
The popularity of American football in Britain has been lasting for centuries. In 1170, English people invented this sport, and even British people admit that it is England’s national sport.
In 1872, England played its first official international match. And, presently there are more than 40,000 registered football clubs in England. So, it already clarifies that British or England people have a great interest in American football.
With total revenue of more than 13.5 billion US dollars, the NFL influences the US sports landscape. According to surveys, British people have a great love for football.
With the popularity of high-school level games to the NFL, the British have a massive, massive interest in American football. Therefore, American football is getting more and more popular in the UK.
If you wonder that why British people have an interest in American football, then let’s see the reasons;
Supporting a football league while living in the UK is not such a common thing. Yet a lot of British people have supported NFL clubs for a long time now.
The UK itself used to have a British American Football League, but it stopped in 2010. Later the British American Football Association replaced it as the American Football League of the UK.
The NFL international series get hosted in the Wembley Stadium of England. In this series, you will see how much British people are crazy about American Football. And it is a significant reason for the love of British people for American Football.
So, you can see that football has a significant relationship with the UK from the beginning. Therefore, it is natural for Brit to have mixed feelings for this game.
Related: What is a Derby in Football?
What do British People Call American Football?
British people call American Football soccer. However, in the United States, it is named football, but in the United Kingdom, it is known as soccer.
As the sport evolved in England, people assumed that soccer was Americanism. Even the word itself is British in origin.
However, football has existed for centuries. Football was initiated in 1863 when the newly formed England Football Association wrote down a set of rules.
During that time, football was the most widely played game in the UK. The game was played under the Football Association’s rules. Therefore, it was also known as association football.
Does London Like American Football?
It is a common misconception that Brits don’t care about the NFL or American football. However, it is not very true, thankfully. From recent sports news, you can know that the NFL is hosting four games in London every year.
Even the NFL is doing serious business in the UK. And it is possible as London likes American football.
The NFL is certainly getting popular in the UK. The league hosting games are a big reason behind this popularity. When in 2007, the first game was played, hardly a few people wanted to watch the NFL.
Only the ex-pat community talked about the game. However, American football has not taken full hold in London still. But in the near future, surely American football will be the ultimate preference for every UK sports lover.
Is American Football Popular in the UK?
According to NFL research reports, there are more than 13 million American football fans in the UK. Even so, many UK people are engaging themselves in sports as players.
So, you can hope that the UK franchise will pop up in the coming years. And therefore, American football is getting more popular in the UK. The country has wholly embraced the sport.
The popularity is increasing as the country has completely embraced the sport. The reason may be the NFL’s tactical expansion plans or the increased interest of Brits in playing the sport. So, the UK franchise is just around the corner.
How Popular is the NFL in England?
The NFL itself has made significant efforts to expand interest outside the United States. As the NFL gets hosted in the UK, the Brits have considerable interest in this game.
The existing UK fans feel tremendous excitement in every match. UK fans even prefer to buy the season passes to get into all of the UK games.
For the gaming culture also, the NFL is very popular in England. Even the NFL fans prefer to enjoy the match directly from the stadium.
Even when they watch the game from home, they remain still committed to the game. They can stay up until the early hours of the morning to watch the match. It ensures the craze of the game.
The NFL games are popular in England as these are a bit of spectacle. These games can maintain the huge crowd up as it has expanded slowly in London.
If you suppose there would be an NFL team in London and eight regular home games each year, then it would have been difficult to sell out the stadiums. So, you can imagine the popularity of NFL games in England.
Conclusion
So, overall we can say that Brits think pretty positively about American Football. They are not only fans of the NFL; even they are interested in participating in the game.
However, football initiated its journey in the United States, but it has spread its influence in the United Kingdom. Not only in the UK, but these fantastic sports have also extended their wings worldwide.
