As part of the announcement of the first game in NFL history on French soil next season, Brett Gosper, head of Europe and Asia-Pacific for the NFL, was in France.
And it was in perfect French that the manager shared his feelings about this moment with us.
On the origin of the project
TDA: I think all the NFL fans in France are really delighted to hear the news, who have been waiting for this for years. For the NFL, how long has this been in the pipeline?
Brett Gosper : « Serious discussions about France started about 3 years ago, I would say. I think there has been a desire in our international strategy to prioritize a certain number of markets and to use these matches as a catalyst, as a spark for the rest of what we do throughout the year. So the discussions 3 years ago were born from the success of the match in Germany which was at the Allianz Arena in Munich. It was a great atmosphere. And I think it demonstrated the effect of one match during the year, which could initiate many other activities and connections with our fans.
This gave us the desire to see which other countries could have the same effect. We were discussing Spain and other major European markets in fact, naturally France, Spain, maybe Italy, etc. In fact, Spain slipped ahead of France for logistical reasons. But it was always the goal to come to France at one point or another in the years to come. France is a large sports market, a large rights and broadcasting market, and a significant fan base. It is estimated at 14 million compared to England at 19, Germany at 20 million and Spain at 11 million. »
France is the third largest market in Europe. We see it on product sales, on broadcast audiences, whether it is the Super Bowl, or Christmas matches on Netflix, France is still in third place. Logically, we come to France after Germany and England. »
The choice of Paris
TDA: When we talk about France, it was necessarily Paris?
B.G. : “For the first match, yes. We don’t just want it to speak at the level of France. We want it to be an event in the world too. I think that, with a lot of respect for other cities in France, Paris is really the beacon for this kind of match. We do these matches for the French public, so we want there to be a dominance of spectators who come from France, not only from Paris, but from France. So we estimate that there will be 70% French, 30% from other countries, maybe half Americans or a third American. »
TDA: Were the Olympic Games able to be successful in Paris, or was the machine already well oiled at that time?
B.G. : « I think that the Olympics made Paris even more desirable than what they were, it was already the goal of coming at one time or another, but I think that it was a demonstration of the capacity of France, of Paris, of the Stade de France, to implement major events like that. So that contributed I think, we know that Paris can hold major events, we already knew that, but that was confirmation on a scale beyond anything that had been done before. »
Towards a “mini Super Bowl”
TDA: In relation to the events around the match, the NFL always thinks big in Europe, what can we expect in Paris?
B.G. : « It’s a mini Super Bowl! We call it that, without promising too much. We try to do as much as possible during the week. Sometimes the teams arrive 5 days before, that helps too. Activities in the city center are important especially for the first match. We look at the sites in the center of Paris, the partnerships with the cities of Paris, Saint-Ouen, a city in France, all of that is important for planning these activities. And then, for the halftime show, let’s hope it will be a great artist. »
“There is no decision on the Saints’ opponent”
TDA : On the choice of team for the match, for the moment there is only one that has been announced…. Why the Saints?
B.G. : « You know that there is a program called the Global Markets Program. Each country was able to opt for markets in Europe. The Saints have the rights to market and market in France, it is the only club which has opted for these rights. So they also pushed for this match in Paris, there are a lot of people who influenced the decisions. They really wanted to come to the country where they have these rights.
They have a historical relationship, Louisiana, New Orleans, with France. So there is already a compatibility of logic and emotion between the two places. So it’s good that it was them, as it was the Steelers in Ireland, who had the same history. And so now we wait to see who the opponent will be. »
TDA: Yes because it’s true that there have been a lot of rumors in France about that… we’re talking about the Browns…
B.G. : « But we don’t know where it comes from, it hasn’t even been decided yet! »
TDA: I think Shedeur Sanders was in Paris…
B.G. : « People put things together… There is no decision yet on who the opponent will be. We’ll know when the calendar comes out at the beginning of May. And we will have the date of the match at the same time. It’s not impossible that it will end up being the Browns. But it’s not decided.”
The overall strategy
TDA: Another question about the Olympic Games. In Los Angeles, there will be the first flag football in the history of the Games, even if it is not the same sport, does that contribute to your decision to expand the league?
B.G. : « The two sports are very linked. It’s both together. We see the Olympic Games as an opportunity for global development, of which our goal is to be a global sports property. So it’s very important for us, we invest in the flag ourselves, we invest in helping the international federation, we work with the local federations in the countries. We have ambitions to have a great comeback in Los Angeles, but we also have ambitions to stay in the Olympic family beyond the Games. It’s also important that NFL players have declared themselves available to play in Los Angeles too.
The Olympic Games are happy with that, it’s an amplification of this sport and we are promoting Los Angeles and the Games until 2030. We are promoting the NFL-Olympic Games link with NBC broadcasting in the United States currently, since NBC is broadcasting the Super Bowl this year, but also the Winter Games. So yes, there is something global. »
Rehearsal of international matches
TDA: On this subject, international matches are increasing in the NFL, do you still feel the same enthusiasm for the teams sometimes given the constraints that it is also in terms of travel?
B.G. : « Whether it’s the team management, the owners, the players themselves, we really feel an excitement about the international dimension and being international and playing these matches abroad. It’s true that there are distances that are sometimes a little difficult, like Melbourne at the start of next season. We’ll see what happens. So far, I think the farthest distance, even though it was in the same time zone, was Green Bay to Sao Paulo. But Melbourne will be another challenge, hope they enjoy the trip (laughs)« .
The NFL in the land of the oval
TDA: Small step aside, you who know your rugby (Editor’s note: Gosper is the former head of World Rugby). Do you think that France, because of its taste for rugby, can be a breeding ground for American football with the right pedagogy to explain a sport which is a little more complicated?
B.G. : « I think it helps people. Already if you are interested in rugby, you cannot ignore American football. It’s a contact sport. There is an oval ball. It’s a spectacle. I think there is a more open door for rugby fans than football fans. And, at the same time, there is no rugby in Germany. Football fans there are all fans of American football. There is no precise formula. »
TDA: And if you had to give Antoine Dupont an NFL job, where would you put him?
B.G. : « I think he’s a running back. Quarterbacks, normally they are very tall, perhaps Antoine would have a little more difficulty in this position. He’s not a wide receiver, he’s a guy who will make breakthroughs, who is solid. He’s a running back.«
