Like many other Packers fans in the UK, it’s been a long wait to see our green and gold colors represented on this side of the pond. It’s about time that changed.
Three NFL teams are yet to play a game in London: Carolina, Houston, and of course, the Packers.
On Wednesday the NFL announced that there will be five International Series games played in 2019, four in London and one in Mexico City.
They also announced the five “home” teams for those games: Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Oakland, the LA Rams and the LA Chargers.
The Packers are scheduled to play on the road against the Chargers in 2019, making it the only possibility for an international game next year. The only way they could meet the Rams on the road would be if Green Bay won the NFC North. So we can rule that one out.
The Chargers will also host the Texans next season, giving the NFL an opportunity to send one of the only teams to London that is yet to play there.
The Packers have one of the biggest fanbases not just in the United States, but also across Europe.
The UK and Irish Packers fan group boasts over 1,000 members, and also has a strong Twitter following of over 10,000. The group brings Packers fans together, and they make an annual trip to Green Bay to watch a game at Lambeau Field.
At the games I’ve attended at Wembley Stadium, as well as multiple NFL events hosted around London, it quickly became evident that the Packers’ following across the pond is a strong one. There is no shortage of green and gold on game day in London.
Playing in London wouldn’t be an issue for the Packers. They wouldn’t have to give up a home game, and teams that make the trip are usually given their bye week immediately after the international game.
But there is currently no sign of Green Bay making the trip to England.
Rob Demovsky of ESPN reported Wednesday that there is “very little chance” the Packers play in London next season. And as Richard Ryman of the Green Bay Press-Gazette noted last month, a big reason for that is other teams not wanting to give up a home game against the Packers:
"“By the same token, opponents do not want to give up a home game against Green Bay because Packers fans travel so well, a fact on obvious display Oct. 28 when the team traveled to Los Angeles to play the Rams. L.A. Memorial Coliseum was packed with Green Bay fans.”"
It’s a problem the Packers will keep running into and will likely continue to prevent them from playing internationally. At least in the short term.
From the NFL’s perspective, a Packers game in London would make a ton of sense. As they continue to grow the game internationally, a showdown between Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers at either Wembley Stadium or the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would be one of the biggest matchups ever played across the pond.
It would have the potential to be an exciting game played between two elite quarterbacks. All too often the UK fans haven’t had a showdown between two of the NFL’s top teams with the potential to be a great game.
For the Packers, it would be a great opportunity to build their fan base internationally, especially considering the fan events that are usually held the week of the game.
Time will tell whether Green Bay is included in the NFL’s International Series next year.