Roger Goodell: NFL plans to play in Australia "for the long term"
Goodell makes it clear that 49ers-Rams won't be the only Australia game.
On September 10, the NFL will play its first-ever regular-season game in Australia (where it will be September 11 at kickoff). While it may be the first time the NFL plays a game that counts in the land of koalas and kookaburras, it apparently won't be the last. In a press conference at the location of the Week 1 49ers-Rams game in Melbourne, Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear the NFL will be back.
"There's no question that we’re going to be playing here again ," Goodell said, via Reuters . "Our view is that we're coming here for the long term. We don't come as a one-off.
This isn't a circus. " But it sort of is a circus. Because the circus typically comes to town once per year.
While that may be enough to fill a stadium, it's not enough to fully monetize the product internationally. Look at England. The NFL has been playing regular-season games in London for 20 years.