Chancellor George Osborne Speaks on Potential London NFL Franchise

The Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons are playing a game at iconic Wembley Stadium in London this week. Each time the NFL takes a game across the Atlantic, talk of a permanent franchise in England heats up. This visit is no different.    

Joe Murphy of the London Evening Standard passed along comments from Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne about the idea. He believes it would be a major positive for an already major sports city.

"This is primarily a decision for the owners of the clubs and the NFL organization but I've said to the NFL that anything the Government can do to make this happen we will do, because I think it would be a huge boost to London," he said. "We could have not just the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning of NFL games but also God Save The Queen."

This week's game marks the second of three matchups slated to be contested in London this season. The Miami Dolphins beat the Oakland Raiders back in September. Next month the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars will visit the country.

Osborne didn't offer a direct timeline for trying to secure a London franchise. He did note the league was "pretty enthusiastic" about the prospects of making it happen in the future, though.

"There are 32 teams in America—and one of them could be a London team. That's a serious prospect," he said.

"It's not going to happen overnight but over the next few years. I just think it will cement London as a global sporting capital as well as a global financial and business and cultural capital."

Similarly, the NFL hasn't committed to any plans beyond continuing to play games there on an annual basis through at least 2016.

Mike Coppinger of NFL.com provided remarks from commissioner Roger Goodell back in July. His outlook at that time was more long term.

"It depends on if we continue to see that growth and how fast it goes," Goodell said. "We couldn't be happier with what we are seeing.

"We actually couldn't be more surprised by the tremendous demand for NFL football in London and the U.K. in general and frankly even Europe. It's not something I think is 15 or 20 years away, it could be five or 10 years away."

Another interesting note came from Daniel Kaplan of the Sports Business Journal, who reported playing in London is now part of the Super Bowl bid process:

Ultimately, the idea is obviously attractive on the surface. Having a franchise based in London opens up further global marketing opportunities for the NFL. It's the logistics (travel, schedules) that would need to get worked out to make it successful.

The fact the league hasn't put a more precise timetable on completing a move suggests there are still numerous unanswered questions. But with each passing trip across the pond, the words from both sides seem to point toward a resolution at some point down the line.