With the regular season over, Jack Evans explains the Super League picture, both sides of the River.

Rugby League may not be one of the nation’s most popular sports but in Hull it is a way of life for thousands of Hull FC and Hull KR fans. Not only does the River Hull separate the East and West sides of the city but it separates the red and white shirts of Kingston Rovers and the black and white jerseys of their West Hull counterparts Hull FC. And as the top sides in the country prepare for the play-offs, it’s that time of year where the region casts a critical eye over two of the nation’s top sides.
 

In terms of our city’s clubs, it has been a season of relative disappointment after pre-season hopes of a challenge on the top four. Instead of a side capable of winning the Leader’s Trophy, fans have been treated with two sets of players who have limped into the play-offs after a decent run of form at the latter end of the year.

Despite a lacklustre season by the Robins and the Black & Whites, the campaign has been a significant one off the pitch for the two teams. Rovers coach Justin Morgan will leave his position as Head Coach at the end of the play-offs and is hotly tipped to take up a coaching position in the Australian NRL. He will leave the club after six years at the helm, where he has won promotion to the Super League and stabilised a side that have now featured in the last three play-off campaigns.

At the KC Stadium, Hull City Chairman Adam Pearson completed a £6 million takeover of Hull FC before revealing after the penultimate game of the season that coach Richard Agar would leave at the end of the year. Agar’s departure has been met with mixed response from fans who have grown increasingly disgruntled with the management team after failing to reach the obvious potential of the club.

Injuries to key players – Sean Long and Scott Fitzgibbon obvious absentees this year – have hindered the progress of the club in recent campaigns but supporters were becoming progressively unhappy with the predictable tactics that Agar employed and the lack of invention from players with obvious talent. In fact the Rugby on offer was never satisfying a city that revolves around the sport.

Adam Pearson brings substantial finances to the Black & Whites but the salary cap that exists in the Super League restricts his ability to turn Hull FC into the Manchester City of Rugby League. One of the ways in which Pearson can push the side onto the next level is through bringing in a top class coach and Agar’s departure seemed inevitable as soon as the Hull-based businessman took over the reins at the KC.

If we look at his record whilst in charge a win percentage of just 11% against the top four sides confirms that the Airlie Birds have never reached their potential at any point throughout Agar’s tenure and that a Challenge Cup final runner up medal is not good enough showing for a club of Hull FC’s stature.

The coach had been linked with Wakefield Wildcats in the past and it always seemed likely that he would move on to another of Yorkshire’s Rugby League sides. After the final league defeat to top of the league Warrington Wolves, a result that assured the club of a 8th place finish in the league, it was confirmed that Agar had indeed penned a three year deal to take over prior to next season.

But back on the pitch and both teams did finish strongly after it had become more and more likely that only one of the two teams would finish in the top eight – a scenario that was only voided by the capitulation of Castleford. And even though both sides arrive into the play-offs in red hot form, the chances of them both offering a serious challenge to the likes of Wigan, Warrington and St Helens are slim – a thesis supported by Hull FC’s defeat to the Wolves on the final day.

In all fairness, the Hull teams are probably the form sides going into their respective play-off games against Leeds Rhinos and Catalan Dragons. They had to be if they were going to scrape into the top eight. Will they make a significant impact in the next couple of weeks? I doubt it. In fact, in Hull FC’s case in particular, previous results against the other teams in play-off contention are extremely poor. Their elimination play-off opponents Leeds have defeated them ten times with no reply since their Challenge Cup final appearance in 2007, and Agar has never defeated the Rhinos while coach at the KC.

I expect both sides to fall at the first hurdle and fail to rescue seasons that have ultimately been a massive disappointment. For Hull FC in particular, 8th place is a huge underachievement, for one of only three teams considered in Super League’s Category A, they are a side who should be challenging with the Wigans, Warringtons and St Helens of the world. Instead they have floundered in mediocrity under Agar and it was probably right for them to part ways.

Hull KR had high expectations for the season and will be disappointed with 7th place, but with Justin Morgan and a number of players leaving at the end of the season the Robins will be looking to start a new chapter in life at Craven Park. Their city neighbours will similarly be looking to draw a line under a bad season and realise their potential in the near future. Let’s hope our two sides can prove me wrong and impact on the impending play-off campaign. What is for sure is that fans will expect more from two of Super League’s perennial underachievers when the new season commences next year.

Share on Facebook

Simply one word describes my time, Incredible.

I don’t believe I could do it justice to describe the experience you have when you become a sabb. The job is defined by the people you work with and I can’t thank them enough for giving me a wonderful year. They have guided me through the complexities of HUU and helped me keep the Athletics Union on budget. I have been extremely lucky to have the voluntary base I have as well, practically all the presidents of the clubs have performed exceptionally. They have been spot on this year, met every deadline I have set and they have been fiscally more responsible, which has prevented the problem we had last year of clubs getting into debt. Finally I have to thank my fellow sabbatical officers they have been very supportive and we have worked well as a team, which didn’t necessarily occur last year, every officer got involved with each other’s zone. For example Chris (Marks) has campaigned for the free Wednesday afternoons for the sports teams and Ben (Wilcox) helping me with tour. Everyone has been great help to me even if it’s just pooping head in for a chat so we can offer each other a different perspective on each other’s problems.

It’s been a brilliant year.

What has been your best moment in the job?

When you preside of an athletic union of over 2000 members it’s impossible to pick out a single moment. There are countless highlights which I will remember. One of the most recent highlights would have to be the Netball final in Sheffield which happened before the Easter holidays. The union managed to rally over 70 people unaffiliated to the Netball Squad to wear the ‘We Are Hull’ and come cheer the team onto victory. That level of support had never occurred before and I feel it is a sign that the AU as an entity is growing stronger.

The other sign of this growing strength would be the AU ball, the naked calendar and Tour. The AU ball for the first time in its history sold out, the calendar has sold in record numbers and the record numbers that went on tour this year. 120 more people than ever before, we were largest group on tour and with the societies joining the AU on tour it shows that it’s not just the AU that is getting into the spirit of ‘We Are Hull’.

I just can’t put my finger on a best moment; it’s just been a series of amazing experiences.
 
 
A number of teams have been performing particularly well in national tournaments do you think we can we continue this next year?

This year has been incredibly successful on the pitch. This year we’ve seen a lot of teams mature this year, the majority of execs contain experienced and highly motivated players, I have been lucky to be a VP Sport with that solid leadership base.  For example the Netball squads 16 games undefeated and their triumph in the northern conference cup. This can be attributed to the strong leadership within the club. There are too many examples of sporting success this year to mention but many teams have had an extraordinary reversal of fortunes this year, last year Rugby Union narrowly missed relegation but they finished this season 3^rd in there league this year and the same story with the Golf club they have gone from basic non-existence to 2^nd place in the northern league in just two years. Those are just two examples of dozens of sporting successes we’ve had.

The ability to make to build on this success, unfortunately, lies with the university. Due to budget shortfalls we haven’t been able to fund the AU as we would like to. The University needs to realise how important sport is for attracting students to a university. At present they only offer a handful of sporting scholarships for rugby league players. If this scheme was expanded to other sports and the university invested in coaching staff the Athletic Union can go from mid level union run on a shoestring budget to the top tier of sporting universities, we have the excellent voluntary base all we need now is the investment.

You stated in your interview with hull fire at the start of the year that you aimed to improve participation in the AU. Do you feel you have achieved this?

Participation for me has been tremendously important; it’s one of my buzzwords. The amount of people who have come up to me during the awards ceremonies and into the office and have said ‘I would be nothing without the AU’ shows how important it is to the student body. The Athletic Union is often stereotyped as a bunch of alcoholic students. It’s a complete misconception. The AU is an outlet for students it allows them to meet people that otherwise they never would have, should you have the misfortune to end up with housemates you don’t get on with you can build a whole new group of friends. Without the AU many students would be simply sat on the sofa watching day time TV, the AU doesn’t just offer a binge drinking life style but an outlet for a variety extracurricular activities.

I feel this is recognised by the student body, with 1 in 8 full time students being part of the AU in one way or another. Membership of the AU has gone up by 300 people this year and we want to get even more involved next year and not just in the large clubs like Boxing and Rugby but into the smaller ones such as figure skating. There is a club for every kind of student in the AU.

Three members of the newly elected sabbatical team worked in the AU office. Do you feel that their experience in working in the AU contributed to their success?

The AU office has given those sabbatical officers an advantage but not one that meant that their election was guaranteed. The AU office on average gets around 180 visitors so those sabbs did get to meet a large number of students before they began their campaigns. The office is also a social environment for many students; they may come in to talk initially about a sporting matter but they usually go on to mention other problems they may have from education to accommodation. This probably gave them a good idea of what the wider student body wanted out of their union. However all that is for nothing if you don’t appeal to the student body they were elected on their policies rather than their experience in the office, their effective campaigns won the election for them.   

Societies went on tour this year. Has the drive to integrate societies and the AU been successful? And how much more work needs to be done?

At the start of the year Ben (VP Community) and I agreed that societies should for the first time come on tour. Personally I feel there has never been a divide between societies and the AU. Tour however is symbolic of how were all one union, this year we had 40 members of societies and the entire sabbatical team joining us on tour. It shows how successfully integrated the union is at present.

Tour while it’s known for its drinking aspects is also a great team building exercise. It allows members of both clubs and societies to really get to know each other in an environment outside Hull.

I believe that the record numbers on tour, largest ever group going from hull and the biggest contingent out of all the universities, will continue as I have personally been on 3 tours and never heard anyone say a bad word about their experiences while on tour.

Any words of advice for the sabbatical team that is going to be taking over the reins soon?

Selflessness is massively important for a sabbatical officer. You can’t go into this job purely to get an extra line on your CV or attempt to lever your position to gain influence in a political party. A sabbatical officer who does that will not perform well. A sabb must always put the student body’s interests first and ensure he/she works together with their fellow officers as a team otherwise they won’t achieve anything with their time in office.

What does the future hold for James Kerr?

Unlike many students I am fairly lucky with the fact that I have several options on the table. However I do have the opportunity to play cricket for a club in Australia, while I’m going to be very sad to leave Hull behind, it has given me opportunities and allowed me to grow as an individual and given me a set of skills which will be of great benefit to me in later life. Becoming a sabbatical officer has been one of the best things I have done.

Share on Facebook

Fundraisers doing the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile in Hull on Sunday 21st March will find themselves rubbing shoulders with a host of famous faces. Comedian’s Tommy Cannon and Fiona Allen will join Emmerdale’s Effie Woods and Apprentice stars Lee McQueen, Lorraine Tighe, Michelle Dewberry and Raef Jayou. They are just some of the celebrities getting ready to rise to the challenge at the Hull Mile.
 
Hull’s fantastic Milers will be treated to the spectacular sights in and around Queen Victoria Square, before being greeted at the finishing line by crowds of cheering supporters! Milers will even get to choose their distance – 1, 3 or 6 miles – whichever’s a challenge. That means, from teeny-tots with their mums and dads, to super sprinters up against the clock, there’s something for everyone on the big day.
 
Coverage from the Mile events will be shown during The Sport Relief Mile Show on Sunday 21st March on BBC ONE, with those participating as the stars of the show. Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK are expected to be rising to the challenge, and best of all, the money raised by the public will help transform lives forever. Be a part of it and enter the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile right now at sportrelief.com.
 
To add a twist to the Hull Mile, Hula Hoops is encouraging the nation to help set a new world record for the most people hula hooping simultaneously across the UK. Places are limited so go to hulahoops.com to sign up.
 
For more information contact:
Claire Robinson on c.robinson@comicrelief.com or 0161 244 3469
Louise Ward on l.ward@comicrelief.com or 0161 244 3468

Share on Facebook

Last year’s tournament saw the emerald isle cement their trust in BOD. As game after game Ireland proved their worth as the best team in the northern  hemisphere, winning the tournament with the triple crown and the grand slam, beating all the other five nations. But last year’s triumph marked a change in Irish history, as their grand slam victory was the first since 1948.

 If this year’s tournament is to be modelled on the Six Nation 2009, rugby fans are set to be in for a rollercoaster of emotions including joy, horror, panic, fear and possibly utter euphoria. All and sundry would agree that the finale of last year was something to be marked in history.

 Ireland vs. Wales, Saturday 21st March 2009 epitomised the intensity that should be found in a rugby match. The final score and subsequent winners of the game and tournament were undecided and unpredictable up until the final whistle. A sea of green held their breath as the boot of Stephen Jones decided the fate of the heroic Irish side, with hearts pounding and a ball soaring through the air, all waited. But as the ball sank three yards from the goal posts, the voices soared and victory was claimed.

 Whether such an achievement will be repeated or matched by another nation this year remains to be seen, but given the hunger for success by all teams, the competition will be fiercely fought. No rivalry has been buried and hatches have been born. One can predict that foul tactics will be a factor in some games, as last year proved that healthy competition can turn sour with various players engaged in more than playful banter. Ireland are going to seek revenge for the disqualifying hands, or well…hand, of the French during the football world cup qualifiers and this will be a constant motivator throughout the tournament. Some Irish would argue that coming above the French is a necessity in the Six Nations this year, not merely preferential.

 Similarly, the English and Welsh have always maintained an intoxicating rivalry and despite Wales losing to England this year they will undoubtedly vent their frustration during other games and at other teams. Being an incredible pack of players and having the united voice of the Welsh behind them, Wales will certainly be spurred on to live up to their history as grand slam winners.

 Equally, great things are also expected of the English, with the return of the master-at-fly-half, Jonny Wilkinson, rugby fans are anticipating a repeat of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, where Wilkinson arguably kicked the team to victory. With the continued management of Martin Johnson, discipline is surely going to be a key aspect to the English game this year, in the hope of completing phases correctly and scoring points clinically without a trip to the sin bin or giving away pointless penalties. It’s set to be a good season for England with many important games at home with the support of their avid fans.

On the other side of the spectrum, a team that is yet to make any remarkable performance in the tournament since their inclusion in 2000 is Italy; their presence however, cannot be debated. They are a vital part of the championship, even if it is only to save the other five nations from picking up the wooden spoon mid-march.

 Likewise, Scotland have failed to make an impact in recent years, but with young blood being pumped into the team an improvement from last year’s dismal perform is inevitable. With the veteran Chris Paterson keeping his position as an integral player on the Scottish side, many would be encouraged to say that better things are to come from Scotland this year. Despite being unlikely contenders for the trophy they will definitely provide excellent entertainment during their games.   All in all, with the fast paced tournament underway be prepared for games littered with dummy-passes, tight line-outs, regrettable knock-ons, offensive high tackles and epic tries. And enjoy the many hours spent down the local pub engaging in banter with fellows fans, because such a valid excuse to whittle your weekends away sat on your arse with your mates only comes once a year… unless you’re also a football fan.

 Taragh Godfrey

Share on Facebook

 The squad is full of dedicated and committed girls, all of whom train 3 times a week, Monday 5-7pm, Tuesday 5.30-7pm and Thursday 5-7pm, and with the new coach Eve, who President Becca Nield,  hails as ‘amazing’, the girls seem to only have greatness awaiting!

 While speaking to Becca, she boasts –rightfully given their work- of the high standard of the first team, as well as the determination and the dedication of the team, and credits their success down to the friendships that have formed both on and off the court and Eve, who helped the squad’s game and given them extra drive to win!

 Overall, the squad sounds like a friendly one, and as Becca explains, a club –like many in the AU- that welcome players of any ability as well as girls who just wish to come along for the social sides, so joining is something all girls should consider! The squad sounds like a great addition to any girl’s life, there’s exercise, competition and for an added extra great friendships waiting for everyone as everyone in the team are ‘genuinely good friends’ –another reason why they work so well as a team and a reason for their success- who live with either one or more of the fellow members.

 If that’s not enough to show the wonders that the Netball Squad can offer, an extra intensive might be the fact that a fundraiser held by the team helped raise £600 to help fund their annual Tour. The AU tour this year shall be in Salou, Spain.

 The girls have a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to, from rivalries with Sheffield Hallam, who we have had to play numerous times in the past two years to the semi-final the BUCS Cups semi-final, and everyone at Hullfire wishes them the best of luck!

 Lucy Hutchinson

Share on Facebook

 This made me wonder what his secret could be. We see films designed to make us believe that the ‘underdogs’ can sometimes win but we usually just take it on a fictional basis. I had to wonder was he such a golf extremist that he played all the time and stayed away from the student lifestyle of beer and take-away to concentrate on his golf. On putting the question to him he responded, with a beer in his hand, ‘Nope, I’m a fair weather player’. The more I spoke with him, the more I looked at him as a real role model for anyone wanting to do sports. He didn’t try to make out he didn’t drink with the lads or laze about on a Sunday morning but that by just enjoying your sport you can have a great time, make some great friends and still have a sneaky pint or two.

 I hope you’ll all agree he seems to be playing his sport with the right mind frame and may he have success in his up-coming big matches, especially a national tournament he may be entering at the Forest of Arden in coming months. Let’s hope Hull’s Sergio Garcia (his favourite player) can bring back come medal’s for us.

 Phil Humphrey

Share on Facebook

 While looking into the Super League Hullfire was lucky enough to be invited inside one of its clubs for some interviews, our very own Hull KR who finished fourth in the league last year. The club is amazing, and walking around their stadium you can really see why over the past few years the club has continued to grow and develop. Every person within the club seems to have a shared love for the team and a real desire to see Hull KR continue their progress.

 Their captain, Mike Vella, is especially worthy of praise as when talking to him he really seemed willing to be open and honest. He must have to hundreds of interviews and one can’t imagine they’re very interesting for someone in his position and yet, you couldn’t decide whether this was his first or hundredth interview. He expressed a huge amount of passion towards the fans and showed a good understanding of what the team needed to do and where they needed to be going and yet was very humble about his captaincy.

 Meanwhile, when the players were asked for any tips for those playing at the moment and for those who wanted to try something new, their replies all seemed to surround the same central point “just enjoy your rugby” which they all seemed to be doing!

 One can’t help but feel that at some professional organizations the passion and reason they began with is lost during their growth, but with Hull this was obviously not the case. Even speaking to new signings Michael Ratu and Josh Hodgson you could see that the club was more like a family than a club, which mean there was no difficulty fitting in with new systems and new management. Both Josh and Michael spoke of how their new teammates all helped each other out with the more experienced players playing a big part in this.

 Their good nature doesn’t just stop on the pitch; by just scrolling through their website it was apparent that their work in the community was a huge part of the club. With connections with hospitals, schools and even parts of our university it became apparent that this is was a very caring club that wants to not only promote Hull KR but Hull too.

 Overall, the more time spent at the club the more comfortable the people made me feel. This, I think, is a common thing within Rugby League everywhere as I myself joined the University Rugby League team this year. I began with the concern that they would be the typical boyish louts you so often connect with the sport. But they, like KR, welcomed me in with open arms and ever since I’ve not looked back making some of the best friends I have at University.

 On a final note, for anyone who would like to try something new then Rugby League could be just up your street or if you’d like to find a new sport to watch then again Rugby League could be for you. Regardless of experience, give a sport a go, you never know what’ll happen!

 Phil Humphrey

Share on Facebook

 Like most Olympics, Vancouver 2010 has been massively over budget. In July ’03 the budget was around $2bn, yet six and a half years and a stock market crash later it looks as if the games will cost Canada in the region of $6bn. Public opinion wasn’t popular either when the City borrowed half a billion dollars to finish the Olympic village last year when schools and other public sector services were being closed down.

 The Winter Olympics itself is hardly recognised in the international sporting calendar (most people prefer to go skiing than watch it) yet tends to cost host cities just as much as the Summer Olympics. Canada’s history of hosting Olympics is also pretty patch, the 1988 Winter Olympics of Calgary may have made a slight profit and left a lasting legacy with the facilities being used by teams (including GB) as a base for Vancouver, however the same can’t be said for the infamous Summer Olympics of Montreal in 1976. Planning errors and strikes left Montreal paying for the games right up until 2006, but it wasn’t all the organisers fault. Security costs soared after eleven Israeli athletes were murdered in Munich 4 years earlier and 22 sub-Saharan teams boycotted the event after the IOC allowed New Zealand to take part, despite the country breaking a UN embargo by letting the national rugby side tour South Africa. Incidentally, Vancouver 2010 will see the first black African compete at a Winter Olympics when Glaswegian born Ghanaian, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong takes to the slopes. The slalom skier dubbed as ‘The snow leopard’ moved back to the UK in 2000 where he got a job as a receptionist at Milton Keynes indoor skiing centre. Of course you can’t mention fairytales without Eric the Eel. A wildcard from Equatorial Guinea who had never seen an Olympic sized pool before, and took swimming only 8 months before the Olympics, and yet went on to win a gold medal in Sydney after the two other competitors were disqualified for false starts.

 Looking to the future, the Olympics only means one thing this side of the Atlantic. Everything that happens in the next two weeks will pale into insignificance compared to the controversial London Olympics. Enough column inches have been dedicated to the huge problems and criticisms of the 2012 games which will be astronomically over budget and we may not be able to afford them, but they will bring some benefits to the rest of the Great Britain. Take the Yorkshire and Humber region for example, 90 companies have secured contracts to deliver goods, services and skills for the games and there is a reported £1bn worth of contracts still to be won. The rest of the country will benefit from tourism. Visitors who won’t being able to afford to stay in London without remortgaging their house will stay in other parts of the country and ‘commute’. All the teams won’t be able to base themselves in London. People will get the opportunity to see the games and (although it sounds cheesy) it’s inspired people from all over the country. That’s not to say it’ll all be value for money, especially the way the Mayor of London at the time, Ken Livingstone negotiated it meaning the whole country will pay, but since we’ve spent all this money we may as well enjoy it!

 Anthony Lock

Share on Facebook

 American Football is extensively marketed. Pete Rozelle, who became the NFL’s commissioner at only 33, initiated many of the measures that have ensured the sport’s cultural ascendancy, including a television deal that distributed revenue equally among all teams. The availability of football through cable and network TV has seen NFL games on ABC, CBS, and FOX average 15.6million viewers. Indeed more people watched the last Super Bowl than voted in the Presidential election. The NFL’s policy of televising most of their games has transformed the experience of millions of television viewers, who might only go to the occasional game, into knowledgeable and enthusiastic football fans.

 One of the most distinctive differences of the NFL compared to other sports is the level of competitiveness and parity the league has. There isn’t an NFL club now that won’t try and sell its fans on the belief that, when training camp opens it, too, can finish on top. That includes the St. Louis Rams, who finished as the worst team in the NFL this season, having a record of 1-15, but whose coaches will go back and look at the tape of the game played against the eventual Superbowl champions New Orleans Saints and claim they were a catch away from beating the Saints, the game having finished 28-23 to New Orleans. This level of competitiveness gives fans such as the Rams renewed hope that next year may be their year, that next year they will sell out the stadium. Merchandise will be sold in the belief that a side, who won only one game in the 2009/2010 season, will be parading the Vince Lombardi trophy in downtown St. Louis in 2011 as winners of Superbowl XLV.

 This league parity is unlike any other professional sport. Any team is able to compete realistically for a place in the Superbowl. It makes for a more exciting product, which makes for a more popular product which in turn leads to greater wealth for everyone. The NBA have followed the NFL’s lead in trying to divide the money between teams and bring parity to the league but still can’t get around the number of teams that are victim to empty seats, mostly because the teams have little or no chance of competing for a title. In the NFL it is a different story as all but 4 of the 32 teams have been to a Superbowl and in the last 10 years there have been 7 different winners.

 The NFL has also developed a distinctive fan culture. The clubs allow tailgating or picnics in the parking lots before matches. These tailgates involve barbecues and an unlimited supply of food and drink. The enjoyable pre-match activities attract a large amount of people. The culture of American Football is comparable to Soccer as NFL fans will travel vast distances for Bowl games or close rivalry games. Indeed it has become part of the football culture of dedicated spectators.

 The NFL has increased its popularity in the UK too in recent years with over 7,000 people actually involved in the sport – and it is one of, if not, the fastest growing sports in Great Britain, growing at over 12% year on year! The primary league for football is the British American Football league (BAFL), a growing league with 50 teams across Britain competing.

 Sky Sports must take some of the credit for American Football’s sudden rise in Britain. They started to show double-header NFL matches live from 6pm-1am on a Sunday night, and as time has gone on the popularity of the sport has risen as a whole new generation of fans have been attracted. This renewed interest prompted the NFL to announce they would stage a regular-season game at Wembley Stadium on October 28th 2007 when the Miami Dolphins played the eventual Superbowl champions the New York Giants. All available UK tickets (90,000) were snapped up within 90 minutes of going on sale leaving approximately half a million disappointed applicants. This was the beginning of an annual international series in London which has subsequently seen visits from New Orleans Saints (the new Superbowl Champions), San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2010 Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers are the participating teams. The NFL is planning on an increase in the amount of international games, hoping to play two games annually in London from 2011– and, at some point, current Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league may even place an expansion team in the city. “We’re thinking about it. As long as we continue to get a positive reaction, the possibility is that we could bring the sport here on a full-time basis. To own the first international franchise would be a pretty cool thing”.

 Nick Hill

Share on Facebook