Can American Football Continue to Grow Outside of the US?
Although American football is most closely associated with the NFL, the sport has grown outside of North America in recent years, with an increasing number of countries starting their own professional football leagues. It will be difficult for American football to ever eclipse the popularity of soccer, but there’s no reason why it can’t continue to grow and attract new interest.
The NFL remains the world’s largest and most successful American football league, and its following has grown among international fans. NFL betting lines are among the most popular options at sportsbooks, but sites may also start accepting bets on international leagues as they grow. Already, countries such as the UK, Germany, Australia, Egypt and New Zealand.
How the Popularity of American Football Has Spread
In the 1980s, the NFL sought to appeal to international audiences by hosting games in other countries. The International Series brings the action and drama of the NFL to big stadiums across Europe and other destinations. Considering that NFL fans in Europe would normally need to stay up very late to catch the game, these events have helped make the sport more accessible to international audiences.
Over the years, the international interest in the NFL has grown, leading many countries to start their own professional and amateur gridiron football leagues. While the talent levels of these leagues are some ways below the NFL, they often recruit top athletes from other sports such as track and field and rugby. The strengthening of international leagues can only benefit the sport, meaning the NFL has a wider talent pool to recruit from.
Additionally, in 2017, the NFL sought to increase the number of international players it recruits. International players help bring more fans to the sport, and many NFL teams today include players from countries all over the world. The International Player Pathway program has played a major role in this, helping talented athletes from players in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America get scouted.
How Modern Technology is Making American Football Better
American football has fully embraced technology in helping to give athletes and players the best possible tools. Modern coaching involves a lot of video and data analytics to highlight areas for improvement and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. This has filtered through to the international leagues, creating a more competitive and high level game.
Modern technology also makes things more enjoyable for fans. Although international football leagues have far fewer resources compared to the NFL, they’re still able to utilise modern tech to create a better fan experience. Examples of this include offering apps that utilise augmented reality to provide fans with live stats on games.
The Future of International American Football
The NFL is bigger than ever in the US, and the sport is growing international too. Canada and Mexico have a big supporters culture around gridiron football and established leagues, but many countries in other continents are also creating their own successful leagues. Thanks to better access to the NFL, the overall popularity for the sport is growing, which is creating a stronger support culture elsewhere.
Countries where rugby is already popular, such as South Africa, the UK, Australia and New Zealand have some of the best conditions for American football to flourish. The two sports share some similarities, and there have been high profile cases of rugby players making the switch to NFL in the past.
As the NFL continues to inspire, even countries such as Egypt have created their own football league. The Egyptian Federation of American Football was founded in 2014 and now features eight teams that play both tackle and flag football..
