Final Score: Wembley Stadium
By Adam Goldstein & Stephanie Capon

11/08

She Said:

The first thing that caught my attention at Wembley what looked like a fun fair close to the Stadium with floats, inflatables, food and a stage. It was really colourful and vibrant, so when Adam told me that that was the tailgate, his trip all became a lot clearer! No wonder he wants to go round checking out this tailgate stuff, it looked amazing!

And I loved the tailgate, too. It may have been tipping down with rain but there was tasty food, excited fans and some mellow jazz to walk around to; plus it was nice just chatting to people, a far cry from the normal shenanigans of English sports events I have attended before. The great atmosphere that ensued at the actual game was, for me, inspired by the fun at the tailgate.

Adam tells me that the tailgates in America are quite different from what I experienced at Wembley, and judging by what I have seen from his pictures so far and read in his blogs, I can't wait. I am stoked about the food that I have heard about, it looks amazing! I am pumped about seeing the crazy NFL themed vehicles that are gonna be on parade in the car parks! And I am really excited to meet the fans that are clearly so passionate about their teams.

He said:

My 15th NFL game of the season took me back to my hometown: London, England where the New Orleans Saints had gratefully sacrificed a home game to play at Wembley Stadium against the San Diego Chargers.

I had been given 4 tickets for the "official tailgate" party. Of course it was a very different tailgate because 95% of people in London take public transport to the game, and we are not allowed public BBQs in England. However, the NFLUK had a large section for a tailgate party that included inflatable activities for children (and, err... me), New Orleans musicians, mini Mardi Gras floats and parade, as well as food stalls. Londoners didn't let the rain dampen the atmosphere and you could spot every NFL jersey in the crowd.

THE NFLUK did a good job with the complexities they had, of course there is room for improvement. For example, the tailgate was ticket only (you had to win a separate ticket after you get your game ticket) and this left many fans frustrated. The food lines were very busy, and the food in Wembley is vastly expensive: nearly 15 dollars for a burger.

I had club seats, so the concessions were not too bad but I hear the rest of the stadium ran out of hot food again by halftime for the second year running. When will us Brits learn that in "American Football" people like to eat all game long, not just a small pie at half time like in soccer matches?

Wembley stadium is an impressive stadium and the commentary was clear and newcomers to the sport could follow the game with ease. Though, even if you do not understand the game fully, it is still hard to not have a good time at an "American Football" game.

Hopefully this game will be a catalyst for more fans to the sport and maybe one day London will have their own their NFL franchise, and maybe a Super Bowl winning team.