Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan says he wants the UK to always be part of the team’s identity and promises the London team is “just getting started”.
A decade after becoming the first – and so far only – NFL team to commit for several years to playing regular season games across the Atlantic, the Jags are preparing for their ninth showdown in the capital.
Doug Pederson’s men host the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon at Wembley – a place Khan considers his “home away from home” and previously tried to buy him from the Football Association.
The Jags owner says his first match under the arc since 2019 “will be special” for the team that earlier this year committed to playing at Wembley every season until 2024.
“Our goal is for London and the UK to always be part of the Jacksonville Jaguars identity,” Khan told the Palestinian News Agency. “This is not news.
“We have never wanted London to be an experience. We have committed to London as our home away from home from the moment we made a four-year commitment that began in 2013.
“We renewed it twice and now we are back at Wembley, which also plays an important role in our international portfolio. The teams that will eventually appear in London depend on the league, but we have made our commitment to playing at home in London every year.
“Despite all the progress we have made in developing our brand and fan base, it has only been 10 years. We are just getting started.”
Khan owns Premier League Fulham as well as the Jaggs and has always been impressed by the local support, but not surprised by it.
This support, he said, will translate this weekend into league records for attendance and total ticket revenue for an NFL game in D.C. after the team took over operational responsibility.
“London has always been exceptionally supportive of Jaguar,” Khan said. “It really comes to life on a whole new level this year at Wembley.”
Sunday will be the first tasting of Wembley for many of the Jags players and Khan says it won’t take long for them to understand why they are back from the tunnel on match day.
Outside full-back Josh Allen is among those who have played under the arc before and is excited to return to London, having played at Wembley in 2019 and won in the capital last year.
“As a team, we’re always excited to go there,” Allen told PA a year after ending a 20-game losing streak with a victory over the Miami Dolphins at Tottenham Hotspur.
“Last year we won a great match and it was an exciting time for us and the fans. I think it will be a great match. We are excited about that.
“We are excited about the match, not just being in London, but we are excited to play with this team there.”
The Jags are hoping for a big win after returning to London with a bang on Thursday night when Noel Gallagher bid on Khan’s luxury yacht Kismet at his annual gala on Thursday.
“We started this journey 10 years ago and it has been an incredible success,” Khan added. “Enriching and rewarding.
“Our local revenue stream advantage has been critical, but during that time we have built a fan base that continues to grow in number and the passion they have for the team.
“We have business partners in the UK. We have a full-time, fully committed team in London working hard to make Jaguar a part of the wider UK sporting scene.
“We are a London (NFL) team, but not just because we say we are. It’s because of the commitment of so many people, including our fans in the UK and across Europe, to making it happen.”
“Lifelong web fan. Incurable internet junkie. Avid bacon guru. Social media geek. Reader. Freelance food scholar.”
