NFL shuts down European League

FRANKFURT, Germany – After 16 years in Europe, the NFL shut down its developmental league Friday.\nNFL commissioner Roger Goodell said it was strictly business, insisting that after “significant investment” it was time to close NFL Europa and concentrate internationally on regular-season games outside the United States.\n“A foundation of American football fans in key European markets has been created and the time is right to shift our strategy,” Goodell said in a statement. “The next phase of our international growth is to focus on initiatives with global impact, including taking advantage of developing technologies that make the NFL more accessible on a global scale and ensuring the success of our new international series of regular-season games.”\nThe league reportedly was losing about $30 million a season. Five of the league’s six teams were in Germany, with the other in Amsterdam, Netherlands.\nThe announcement came less than a week after the Hamburg Sea Devils beat the Frankfurt Galaxy 37-28 in the World Bowl championship in Frankfurt before a crowd of 48,125.\nNFL team owners decided in October to play up to two regular-season games each season outside the United States. The first such game is Oct. 28 in London between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants.\nThe league said it is looking toward other regular-season games in Germany, Mexico and Canada, with Germany being a strong \ncandidate for 2008.\n“NFL Europa has created thousands of passionate fans who have supported that league and our sport for many years,” said Mark Waller, senior vice president of NFL International. “And we look forward to building on this foundation as we begin this new phase of our international development.”\nThe league began in 1991 as the World League of American Football, with 10 teams from the United States and Europe, spreading from Scotland to Spain. After closing for two seasons in 1993 and 1994, the league returned with six European teams and retained the same format until the end.\nThe league was used by NFL teams to test young talent and produced players such as quarterback Kurt Warner, who led the St. Louis Rams to the 2000 Super Bowl championship and won two NFL MVP awards; Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, and Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.\nNFL Europa managing director Uwe Bergheim said the league had succeeded in establishing a fan base for football in important European markets.\n“Despite the great support of fans, business partners and the cities where we were active, we decided that it was time to change the strategy,” Bergheim said.\nThe German teams were in Berlin, Hamburg, Duesseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt. Some drew strong crowds – especially Frankfurt – and broad newspaper coverage. The spectators liked the party atmosphere in the stadiums, much more relaxed than soccer games with their often rowdy fans.\nBut the league got little television exposure locally. Apart from the Super Bowl, no other NFL games are shown on free TV in Germany.\n“The disappointment and the frustration are great,” Hamburg general manager Kathrin Platz said.