Patriots to play in London in 2009

Following in the footsteps of the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints this year, the New England Patriots will play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London.  The game will take place at Wembley Stadium, the same location as the game this year.

This will be the Patriots’ first ever game outside of the United States.  It is currently scheduled to be played on October 25th, 2009.  Tampa Bay will be the home team.  Bob Kraft said the following about the game:

“We are proud to be selected by the NFL to be featured in next year’s international game…We have had a lot of memorable moments in recent years. I am sure our trip to the United Kingdom next year will prove to be an unforgettable experience for our players and coaches, as well as the many fans that will travel to the game. I think it is fitting that New England’s first game to be played outside of North America will be in England. I know that the UK is home to some of our most passionate Patriots fans and we look forward to the experience.”

A little ironic that a team called the Patriots will be playing in London.  Yes, that was a history geek reference, for those of you that didn’t catch it.  Personally, I’ve always wanted to visit England, and this would be a perfect opportunity… but I expect tickets will be expensive and it’s something that I can’t afford right now.  It is great that football is making its way overseas again.  NFL Europe may have been a failure, but this is a step in the right direction to get a program started over there again.

Source: Boston.com

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