US Edition 
London-based NFL team receives boost with Chancellor confirming he has held talks over a Wembley franchise
George Osborne has vowed to do everything possible to enable an American Football team to switch to the UK, which may require the promise of tax breaks
The prospect of an American football team relocating to London on a permanent basis has taken its biggest step forward after the Chancellor confirmed he had held talks over creating a Wembley franchise.
George Osborne vowed to do everything possible to enable a National Football League team to make the historic switch to the UK, which may require the promise of tax breaks in order to become a reality.
Osborne is understood to have discussed a London franchise with NFL officials while watching a match between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in the United States a week and a half ago.
Further talks could take place in the coming days after he was invited to attend one of the remaining two International Series matches taking place at Wembley this year.
Osborne told the Evening Standard: “This is primarily a decision for the owners of the clubs and the NFL organisation but I’ve said to the NFL that anything the Government can do to make this happen we will do, because I think it would be a huge boost to London.”
As Chancellor, Osborne would have the power to offer financial incentives to any NFL team relocating to the UK and has previously agreed exemptions for visiting sports stars who would otherwise baulk at paying its prohibitively high taxes.
Having staged NFL matches since 2007, Wembley is hosting three this year for the first time, with no let-up on the sell-out crowds the games have attracted.
That includes Sunday’s clash between the Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons, as well as next month’s meeting of the Jacksonville Jaguars – touted as the most likely team to relocate to London – and the Dallas Cowboys.
Osborne said: “I’m going to go with my son to one of the NFL games that are coming up at Wembley in the next few weeks. I think that there’s a chance in the next few years to get an NFL team for London.
“There are 32 teams in America — and one of them could be a London team. That’s a serious prospect.”
He added: “We could have not just the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning of NFL games but also God Save The Queen.”
The Football Association has made securing an American football franchise one of its priorities for securing the future of the stadium.
The NFL, meanwhile, has repeatedly played down the prospect of a London team before the year 2020.
Osborne said: “It’s not going to happen overnight but over the next few years. I just think it will cement London as a global sporting capital as well as a global financial and business and cultural capital.”
The NFL “warmly welcomed” the Chancellor’s support, adding: “Our key priority is to continue to build our fan base in the UK so that there is strong demand for any future plans in London.”