Page 17 - ATD 8OCT,2015

SPORTS A17
Thursday 8 October 2015

NFL approves ASTROLAND
more international
Upstart Astros outshine star-driven Yankees
games, some
outside England Houston Astros’ Carlos Gomez (30) reacts after crossing home plate
after hitting a solo-home run against the New York Yankees during
BARRY WILNER the fourth inning of the American League wild card baseball game,
AP Pro Football Writer Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, in New York.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL’s
appetite for international Associated Press
games is growing. Page 20
The league’s owners ap-
proved more such games
through 2025 on Wednes-
day, including ones in
places other than England
— possibly Mexico, Germa-
ny and Canada.
“We think it’s time to ex-
pand our international se-
ries to other countries and
respond to the growing in-
terest in our game not only
in the U.K., but elsewhere
around the world,” Com-
missioner Roger Goodell
said.
So not only was the agree-
ment for games in Britain
extended through 2016,
but other nations will be
considered as well. Mex-
ico, where one regular-
season game was played
in 2005 and drew a record
attendance of 103,467, is a
front-runner for next year.
“That’s our biggest fan
base, our most vibrant mar-
ket,” said Mark Waller, the
league’s vice president/in-
ternational. “It would be a
logical place to start.”
The NFL will announce the
2016 international games
this fall. Three games are
at London’s Wembley Sta-
dium this season for the
second straight year, and
that number could be in-
creased.
“We haven’t committed to
any games in London, but
it would be a big surprise to
me if we went backward,”
Waller said. “We have
great momentum. We sold
out three games there. I’d
be shocked if we didn’t
play three games. ... We
could’ve played four this
year.”

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