If the Kansas City Chiefs want to play again in London anytime soon, they can likely make it happen, says Roger Goodell.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell visited Kansas City last week to spend time with the Chiefs during their fantasy camp and spoke to the media about a few issues. When asked specifically about the chances of whether or not the Chiefs would be returning to play in London, England anytime soon, Goodell basically answered that the Chiefs could write their own check, so to speak, given that the team’s owner is head of that entire committee.
"“Clark Hunt is the chairman of the international committee — he might have a little bit of influence in that case,” Goodell said. “If the Chiefs want to go back, I think we would love to have them, because they have a lot of fans in the U.K.”"
The Chiefs’ last visit was a smashing success on the field, given the 45-10 win over the “visiting” Detroit Lions, and it also was a big hit off the field as well with an announced attendance of well over 83,000 people. The Chiefs seem to have a solid amount of fans in the U.K. as well, given their following here at Arrowheads Abroad on Twitter and their multi-faceted website here.
The downside, of course, to moving another Chiefs home game to the U.K. is that it takes away a home game from the loudest stadium in the NFL. It’s one thing for a middling market with a disinterested fan base to lose a home game, but it’s another thing for a winning team with weeks marked by Red Fridays to lose one. Eight days in a year is already a miniscule total, so losing every game in a big deal.
That said, Clark Hunt and company have to decide how and when to expand their fan base and when the effort is simply not worth losing good will and dollars at home.