Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is set to buy Wembley Stadium in London, according to multiple reports. The news of the purchase has of course immediately sent a lot of Jaguars fans into a firestorm with new panic about the team moving to England, but I still think that is way too premature and presumptive.
“We are very happy for Shad Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The potential purchase of Wembley Stadium is a further powerful sign of their commitment to the UK and their vision to help us grow the sport. Having stadium options in London has always been critical to the NFL and in tandem with our 10-year partnership with Tottenham Hotspur, this new relationship would allow for even greater flexibility in scheduling future NFL games in London,” NFL executive VP of events and international Mark Waller, said in a release.
Buying Wembley doesn’t necessarily doom the Jaguars to relocation, but that’s what you’ll hear for a while. Wembley will also still host a number of sporting events, including FA cup matches, England international soccer matches and potentially some Fulham matches if they get promoted back to the Premier League.
There’s also potential for Khan to make money leasing the stadium to NFL teams for the UK series.