"Crown" in London

Patriots owner wanted to pay round for 800 fans

The "Krone" as a guest at the NFL London game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New England Patriots

(Bild: Krone.at)

Seeing an NFL game live - a dream that actually came true for krone.at reporter Anatol Szadeczky last weekend as part of the franchise partnership with Interwetten. In his field report, he writes about the New England Patriots' invitation to London and a weekend he won't soon forget ...

In 2022, I tried my luck for the first time to get tickets for an NFL game in Europe. One minute too late on the website and I was already waiting list position 200,000. It just wasn't meant to be ...

NFL fans take over the city
About two years later, I could never have imagined that the New England Patriots would invite me to London for a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of their partnership with Interwetten. My heart rate was correspondingly high when I actually got the invitation and was allowed to board the plane to London Gatwick on Saturday morning. Arriving at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel - around five minutes away from Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben - there was already a football vibe in the room. As soon as I stumbled out of the hotel, I found myself in a cluster of colorful jerseys - the English capital had already been infected with NFL fever.

The "crown" as a guest at the NFL London game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New England Patriots

(Bild: Krone.at)

I could feel this even more clearly on my walk along the Thames. Wherever you looked, you got confirmation: Yes, you're in the right place. In conversations with numerous football fans - surprisingly, around 80 percent of the people I spoke to were from Germany - I was able to understand the balance of power between the fan camps for the first time. In my estimation, there was just one Jaguars fan for every nine Patriots fans. However, major rivalries, as we know them from European soccer, are alien to the NFL anyway. "Every fan is welcome," was the general tenor.

To get the thousands of supporters of the guests from New England in the mood for Wembley, the Pats nation went to the fan party in the Greenwood Pub on Saturday evening. Two weeks earlier I had already wanted to secure a place in the sports bar - and once again I ended up on the waiting list ...

Spendthrift Robert Kraft
So I was relieved when my cell phone rang and I was informed that the Patriots had invited me to join them at the party. So off to the hotel, a quick shower and down to the lobby - where I met a cheerful Patriot mascot, the Patriots cheerleaders and former player and three-time Super Bowl champion Marcus Cannon for the first time. In vans with darkened windows and plenty of security personnel on board, we made our way to the pub, where we were greeted by around 800 Patriots fans, loud music and a wide selection of beers. A spectacle that team owner Robert Kraft didn't want to miss. His plan to invite every single visitor to the bar for a drink ultimately failed due to miscommunication with the staff.

Strict security checks
However, the big highlight of the weekend was to come the following day. After an excellent breakfast, our group gathered in the hotel lobby at 9.45 am, where a bus was already waiting to take us to the north of the city. Arriving at Wembley Stadium, I was quickly confronted with the stadium's strict security policy. Laptops and dictaphones are not allowed in Wembley Stadium, nor are large rucksacks and bags. The fact that the only bag drop-off stand in the area was located on the opposite side of the stadium at least allowed me to burn off a few calories, which I was to consume again shortly afterwards. In the ultra-modern Wembley Stadium - which can't even begin to compare with our Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna - the Patriots' hospitality area awaited us with an unparalleled range of delicacies. While we were able to load our plates with sushi, burgers, salmon, etc. at several stands, the culinary experience was rounded off with a generous selection of juices, beer, wine and champagne.

Krone.at reporter Anatol Szadeczky at Wembley Stadium

(Bild: Krone.at)

Well fortified, we were allowed to take our seats at around 2 p.m. (local time) - which also left no expectations unfulfilled. With a perfect view of the pitch and over 86,000 guests, I would soon be watching my first NFL game. My worries that the game would turn into a defensive battle were unfounded, as six touchdowns sent the packed house into raptures.

A unique football experience and three kilometers unwound - after all, my rucksack was still waiting for me - later, I reviewed the spectacle I had just experienced with the accompanying journalists on the bus before my eyes fell shut back at the hotel at around 9.30 pm. What remains of the trip are great acquaintances, lots of photos and incredible memories. In 2022, I was still confronted with the enormous fan interest and the mammoth task of getting tickets, but just two years later I can actually tick off my goal of seeing an NFL game live.

Would you also like to see the New England Patriots live? Together with the franchise, Interwetten is giving away two trips including flight, hotel and hospitality tickets to Boston for the game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 1 at the beginning of November.