The Jacksonville Jaguars have spent more than a decade turning London into a second home, and this past week offered a clear example of how that connection keeps growing. Ahead of their annual home game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the team staged three pub takeover events in London, including a Thursday night gathering at the Greenwood sports pub and kitchen in Central London.
That kind of outreach helps explain why the question, Why do the Jaguars play in London so much, comes up every year. The answer starts with timing and commitment: the Jaguars first played in London in 2013, and last week’s 19-17 win over the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was their 15th game in London overall. Over time, the games have become part of a larger effort to build a loyal international fan base rather than just a one-off trip abroad.
Why London matters to the Jaguars
The Jaguars have used London as a major international market since 2013, and their presence there now goes far beyond the game itself. Their U.K. outreach includes a fan club, flag football clinics, player appearances, a junior cheerleading program and school-based game access. That steady investment has helped create something unusual for an NFL team: a visible, recurring identity in another country.
Phoebe Schecter, an NFL analyst for Sky Sports, said the Jaguars have built a strong presence in the U.K. and that fans are bought into the team. As she put it, even people who knew little about the NFL could still walk away feeling like “the Jags are our team.” Schecter also said the team’s presence has created superfans and that there is always going to be a strong association with the Jaguars.
Events, fans and a growing culture
The pub takeovers are part of that culture. On the previous Friday night before the home game, the Jaguars hosted another takeover event, and on Friday they held practice at The Grove resort with 200 fans and dozens of students in attendance. The scene showed how the team’s London week has become a larger fan experience, not just a game-day stop.
That enthusiasm is reflected in stories from supporters as well. Francis Sweeney said his wife, who does not like any sports, is obsessed with the Jaguars. Jamie Phillips said he wants to take after the underdog like most Brits do, and called his interest in the team “a bit of an obsession, really.”
For the Jaguars, that is the point. Repeated games, consistent events and long-term outreach have helped them turn London into one of the NFL’s most active overseas fan markets. The annual home game is still the centerpiece, but the fan base has been built through everything around it.
