NFL finds new home in London, partners with Tottenham Hotspur
Ian McCue - Jul 8, 9:38 AM 0
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(Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
The NFL took its next step toward overseas expansion on Wednesday when it announced a 10-year partnership with Tottenham Hotspur to play at least two games per year in the English Premier League's new stadium.

Tottenham is building a new stadium in London, set to open in summer 2018, that will include features specifically designed for NFL games. An artificial turf field will sit underneath the grass field the soccer team uses. With the press of a button, the field can switch from soccer venue to football venue. This makes it much easier for the league to schedule games in the United Kingdom because the venue does not need to be overhauled before it can host a game.

"With growing enthusiasm for the NFL in the United Kingdom, we are committed to hosting NFL games in world-class venues and are excited to partner with Tottenham Hotspur to play games at their future stadium," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "We share a vision and commitment to creating the best experience for our teams, fans and the local community."

This is another sign that America's most powerful sporting league could launch a London-based club in the near future. Wembley Stadium, the city's iconic sporting venue, hosted its first NFL games in 2007. There has been at least one game there every year since, with three games there last year and another three planned for 2015. Two games per year is the minimum under the new deal with Hotspur, so the league could aim for more games than that if it believes the interest is there.

The league says amateur football has grown by 15 percent over the eight years since the International Series started. It clearly wants to keep that trend alive in England.