Italiano, Translations
Storia delle NFL International Series di Londra
Di: Travis Brody
Traduzione a cura di: Enrico Brazzi
A cura di: Valentina Ferrara
Quando la National Football League comunicò la chiusura della NFL Europe nel 2007, promise che nello stesso anno si sarebbe disputata una partita di regular season a Londra. Da allora la NFL ha più che mantenuto la promessa. Da una partita a stagione si è arrivati alle NFL International Series, per un totale di 11 partite giocate a Londra in 7 anni, e non ci sono segni di rallentamento.
Prima della NFL Europe (nata come World League of American Football), la National Football League tentò di affermarsi nei mercati internazionali organizzando gli American Bowl, una serie di partite di preseason giocate in diverse grandi città, tra cui Londra, Berlino, Barcellona e Dublino. Dal 1986 al 2005 furono disputate 40 partite NFL in 12 città di 4 continenti.
Gli American Bowl ebbero un modesto successo, come la NFL Europe. Tuttavia ogni tentativo mancava di una certa caratteristica, che al tempo non venne presa in considerazione. La competizione mancava di valore, ovvero una partita giocata ai massimi livelli e con una posta molto alta in gioco. La NFL Europe offriva ai tifosi europei football di qualità, ma in campo scendevano giocatori di seconda fascia che non avevano ancora trovato posto in NFL. La maggior parte dei giocatori restava per un campionato per poi tornare negli Stati Uniti, di conseguenza non si riusciva a fidelizzare i tifosi.
Gli American Bowl offrivano invece partite giocate da squadre di prima fascia, ma mancavano competizione e giocatori di alta qualità. Le partite di preseason non influiscono sul campionato o sui playoff, e vengono giocate prevalentemente da giocatori che non riusciranno mai a entrare in NFL. Qui le squadre non giocano per vincere; giocano per dare alle proprie riserve l’opportunità di dimostrare che meritano di restare in squadra. Le partite di preseason hanno poco senso e sono poco interessanti anche per i tifosi americani. Resta negli annali la partita della preseason 2001 tra Baltimore Ravens e Philadelphia Eagles, che doveva giocarsi al Veteran Stadium: cancellata per le scarse condizioni del sintetico degli Eagles, la partita non venne mai recuperata.
Al tempo la NFL non riuscì a capirlo, ma stava offrendo al mondo un prodotto di seconda fascia e si aspettava che tutti abboccassero. Nonostante alcune esperienze positive e alcuni obiettivi raggiunti, questo tipo di strategia non aveva margini di crescita. Tutti gli sport catturano il pubblico con partite leggendarie e momenti indimenticabili. Il commissioner Roger Goodell fu il primo a capirlo. Così nacquero le NFL International Series.
La prima partita, tra New York Giants e Miami Dolphins, si giocò a Londra nel 2007. A Wembley i Giants vinsero 13-10 sotto una pioggia insistente. Eli Manning, quarterback dei Giants, completò 8 passaggi su 22 per 59 yard, ma bastarono per vincere. Nonostante la brutta partita e la presenza dei Dolphins, che con quella sconfitta arrivarono a 8 consecutive, fu la prima volta che si giocò una partita di regular season fuori dal Nord America. Tra l’altro i tifosi di Wembley non sapevano che i Giants quell’anno avrebbero vinto il Super Bowl battendo 17-14 i New England Patriots. Non male come inizio.
Nel 2008 la lega organizzò un’altra partita a Londra. I New Orleans Saints sconfissero 37-32 i San Diego Chargers, un anno prima che i Saints vincessero il XLIV Super Bowl contro gli Indianapolis Colts per 31-17. Nelle quattro stagioni successive si continuò a giocare una partita all’anno, finché nel 2013 le partite diventarono due. Quell’anno i tifosi videro in azione i San Francisco 49ers, da poco sconfitti dai Baltimore Ravens nel XLVII Super Bowl. I 49ers arrivarono fino alla finale di conference, perdendo 23-17 contro i Seattle Seahawks, futuri campioni NFL. Dopo il grande successo ottenuto dal format con due partite giocate a Wembley, nel 2014 la NFL decise di portare a 3 il numero di partite giocate a Londra.
Per il 2015 sono in programma tre partite ma, secondo quanto riportato da American Football International, avrebbero potuto essere quattro, se non fosse stato per la Coppa del Mondo di Rugby, che si giocherà in Inghilterra e disporrà di Wembley per diverse partite. Mark Waller, Vice Presidente dell’ufficio internazionale della NFL, ha recentemente affermato che resterebbe deluso se non si giocassero almeno quattro partite nel 2016. Pare che le NFL International Series possano solo che crescere.
Queste partite permettono alla NFL di testare diversi aspetti di logistica, per esempio l’organizzazione dei viaggi, come gestire le bye week, le tasse, e altro ancora. La prossima stagione ci saranno alcune novità per le International Series: per la prima volta si giocheranno due partite a distanza di una settimana (Bills-Jaguars alla 7° giornata e Lions-Chiefs all’8°), che metteranno alla prova la resistenza del campo da gioco, e per la prima volta si assisterà a una partita tra squadre della stessa division, quando alla 4° giornata i Miami Dolphins sfideranno i New York Jets, rivali nella AFC East.
La NFL ha preso in considerazione l’opportunità di giocare in altre parti d’Europa, in particolare a Edinburgo (Scozia), Cardiff (Galles), Dublino (Irlanda) e Berlino (Germania), tuttavia ha trovato che l’accessibilità, gli impianti e l’interesse dei tifosi diano a Londra un netto vantaggio. Piuttosto che disperdere le forze concentrandosi su più mercati, la NFL sta cercando di penetrarne uno solo e crearvi una presenza duratura.
Fino a oggi le NFL International Series a Londra hanno sempre fatto il tutto esaurito, tranne nel 2011, quando i biglietti vennero messi in vendita in ritardo a causa del lockout. Le International Series non danno segni di rallentamento e pare che il football a Londra non abbia limiti.
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