Tailgate parties, marching bands. . . and Ted Lasso? Wembley hosts US college game
Tailgate parties, marching bands. . . and Ted Lasso? Wembley hosts US college game. The inaugural Union Jack Classic (UJC) will feature marching bands, spirit squads and tailgate parties outside the stadium – and Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis might be there too.
What happened
Both the NFL and college football have tailgate parties, where fans gather in the car park and eat and drink for hours before the game. But college football fans chant during games, which feature marching bands and spirit squads – made up of cheerleaders, dancers and mascots. "The main tailgate party begins at 10:00 – seven hours before kick-off – serving authentic Kansas barbecue food, and there will be cheerleaders and marching bands on Wembley Way.
Wembley will host its first American college football game on Saturday and one of Kansas' most famous fans could be among the 60,000 crowd. And while chatting over a few beers, they asked themselves why no-one had taken college football back to England, especially since Wembley's first NFL game in 2007. It formed partnerships with the British American Football Association (Bafa), British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who host an annual NFL game at Wembley.
American college football games were being played abroad long before the NFL headed overseas, in countries as diverse as Cuba, Japan and Tanzania.
The wider picture
But this Saturday the UK will host just its second college football game, and it will be a far bigger event than the first at Crystal Palace in 1988. The past two college games in Dublin have featured teams from the Big 12 Conference. Founded in 1890, the University of Kansas (KU) has one of the oldest college teams and wants to expand its brand, while the game coincides with Arizona State (ASU) opening a London campus this month.
Image source, University of KansasImage caption, The Kansas Jayhawks marching band usually plays in front of 32,000 fans at their home stadiumVirtually all NFL players come via the US college system, and in many parts of America, college football is more popular than the NFL. College games often have bigger crowds – eight of the world's 10 biggest stadiums are for college football, all holding more than 100,000. About 60,000 tickets have been sold and 15,000 fans are travelling from the US, with student sections to help create the typical college gameday atmosphere.
"Dubiski agreed an exclusive multi-year deal with Wembley and is already working on games in the next three years. Why college football could rival NFLImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, More than 54,000 fans watched ASU beat Morgan State 70-7 in their season opener two weeks agoYormark believes a positive experience for fans and players would constitute success, plus an exciting game.
What has been reported
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Fox Sports' Big Noon Kick-Off show is nationally televised in the USGriffin will be at Wembley as part of Fox's team for their flagship pre-game show, which has gone overseas for the first time, with coverage starting two hours before kick-off. "We've focused on picking up the tailgating experience and Americana of a college gameday in the States and planting it in London. About 2,500 fans were there that day, whereas 60,000 will be at Wembley to watch the Kansas Jayhawks face the Arizona State Sun Devils (17:00 BST).
Figure caption, Why is American college football coming to the UK? He and a business partner both played college football, with the latter then working with the NFL in London. Its commissioner Brett Yormark is "bullish" about building its global appeal and he was interested in a London game. Published20 hours agoWhat makes college football different? "We want the game to showcase what we think is one of the greatest sports in America," said Yormark.
What happens next
"There's something special about college football – the pageantry, the traditions, the fandom. He might expand to other European cities and bring basketball games too. Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, now a college football analyst with Fox Sports, agrees that "we've got to bring excitement". Griffin also believes college football could ultimately be more successful overseas than the NFL. "The fandom around college football is better, it just is," he added. In the NFL there's 32, but in college football there's 400 you can fall in love with.
"And if you want to be a real NFL fan, you have to be a college football fan because that's the feeder system into the league and you get to watch these guys develop.