UK NFL Franchise outlined

Saw this on the Beeb. Not really outlined in detail like they imply in the lead in on the main sports page, but oh well still some interesting bits.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/american_football/15381679.stm

So much could be said about this but none of it positive IMO.

Logistically it's impossible and I can't see the upside of any franchise agreeing to play here 5 years running, most UK fans already have allegiences to a team and won't ditch their team for the sake of the Niners/Buccs or whoever comes over over once a year.

Time zones hurt - up until 2 years ago West Coast teams travelling to the Eastern seaboard for a 1pm kick off were 1-75 over 5 or so years proving how hard it is for the body to adjust after long journeys and early kick offs, tack on another 4000 miles and 7 hours in the sky and this problem only increases.

As far as travel, the only way I can see it even remotely feasible is if the team played 4 or more away games straight and the team had a U.S. base with a training facility. It would stay in the U.S. during that block of time. Visiting teams to the U.K. would have their bye week immediately after the U.K. to recover tho it is a lot less harsh going to the States as far as jet lag.

As far as the fan base, it would take a long time to develope. Took forever for the Cards.

It could be a possibility within the next 10 years. The NFL will probably aim for 2 London games first they maybe up it to four before having a London/ UK franchise.

I agree that the schedule would have to be in blocks through, something like four away games, four home, four away, four home or something like that.

Other questions to raise are whether a franchise would be moved ie keeping the 32 teams of whether the NFL would be expanded? I always thought a Canadian team would the first non-USA franchise, possibly in Toronto.

Maybe we will see a 36 team league with six divisions of six?