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NEW YORK - The National Football League (NFL) first overseas regular season game in London could have sold out the 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium 10 times over, officials said today about the league's launch into international scheduling.
Three days after the NFL announced in February that the New York Giants would play the Miami Dolphins on October 28 in London, requests for more than half a million tickets were received, the league said.
"We could have sold out all the seats 10 or 11 times over," said Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL United Kingdom.
A first allotment of tickets will be distributed to fans in Britain tomorrow.
"There is a huge potential in Britain and wider in Europe for American football to come and have a huge impact," Livingstone said.
"We want to see the NFL coming back to London again and again. We will always make you welcome."
Tickets are also being sold by the Giants and Dolphins to their local fans, through websites and travel agencies.
The export of NFL games has been a hot topic, with published reports saying team owners are considering adding one regular international game to every club's schedule to help grow the sport globally.
"Certainly that's something that the owners would discuss," said Giants treasurer Jonathan Tisch, who also serves as head of New York City's tourism bureau.
"We are all anxiously awaiting the start of the international games and we'll check on the success, and the owners will get together and discuss if it's in the interest of the league.
"My sense is we could easily have international games to create more excitement and grow the fan base of the NFL."
- REUTERS
