Jacksonville Jaguars 'are not moving to London,’ says owner Shahid Khan
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham, insists that he has “no plans” to move his NFL franchise to London despite a widespread assumption that the Jaguars will be the team that eventually fulfils the league’s plan to base a team at Wembley.
Instead, Khan wants the Jaguars – who play the second game of a four-year Wembley “residency” against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday evening – to continue to build their following here and be every British fan’s second team, an aim he shares for Fulham beyond their own fanbase.
“Put two and two together, you’re welcome. Speculate away – but we have no plans to move at this time,” he said. “The Dallas Cowboys are ‘America’s Team’ but they play in Dallas. Why can’t we be the London Jaguars based out of Jacksonville? The Jaguars are the smallest [NFL] club and we needed more fans. Going overseas has been a win-win. There is demand for NFL football here and we can help with that.”
Building loyalty to a team more than 4,000 miles away requires a longer-term presence here, and Khan admits he could extend the annual visits beyond 2016: “It’s something we’re going to look at in a couple of years. It’s in the realm of possibility, but nothing’s decided.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments