Bucket List Trip – Here’s How To Watch Your Favourite NFL Team In The U.S. From The UK

Time never stops in the NFL, whether it is pre-season, during the season or post-season, there is always something happening with your favourite NFL team.

However, for fans, all that happens in the post and then pre-season is a build up to the main event. The start of a new NFL season, when your favourite NFL team will be one of 32 teams competing to win it all in the Super Bowl.

To do that, they face a regular season of 17 games. Comprising of either 8 at home and 9 on the road, or 9 at home and 8 on the road.

The game enjoys huge popularity in the United States, as well as in other parts of the world that host the International Series of games. As such, tickets for NFL games are hard to come by.

Despite this, many fans in the UK dream of being able to travel to the United States to watch their favourite NFL team in action. Especially if they are not one of the teams regularly selected to appear in the International Series of games.

So, in this article, we are going to focus on what are the different options available to you if you want to watch your NFL favourite team in action.

And then we’ll finish with a look at some of the different betting markets available at bet365 Sport which you can enjoy if a bucket list trip is a bit beyond your means at present.

Catching Your Favourite NFL Team Live – The Options

Outlined below we have outlined three ways you could catch your favourites in action from the UK, together with details of how to go about getting yourself a ticket for the games in question, as well as other details you will need to sort out.

What is important to note before we start looking at these options is that to really fully experience your NFL favourite team playing a game, you will need two things. Time and money.

Time is vital, especially for the options that involve trips to the United States (or elsewhere) to watch your NFL favourite team in action. There is a ‘sweet spot’ for the amount of time you should look to spend in the U.S. to take in an NFL game. This is explained in more detail below.

And of course, money is very important too. While some options below are cheaper than others, even the cheapest outlay will still cost a considerable amount. NFL game tickets are not cheap, and their scarcity can make them even more expensive.

Factor into that travel costs, accommodation costs, spends on souvenirs, food, drink and an assortment of other activities you may wish to do, and the price soon adds up.

So assuming you have the time and cash, what are your options to watch your NFL favourite team in action from the UK? There’s three potential options and we’ve outlined them and the pros and cons below.

1.Wait for your favourite NFL team to appear in the International Series.

This is certainly a more convenient option, and also the cheapest way to watch your NFL favourite team in action.

With three games a year in the UK, one in Germany and another, due to be played in either Brazil or Spain, UK fans would obviously target the UK games.

You will have to pre-register your interest in tickets beforehand with NFL UK. Then you’ll have to be quick as once the tickets go on sale they are snapped up quickly.

All three International Series games in the UK take place in London. So unless you live relatively locally and can commute there and back within a day, you will also incur accommodation costs, as well as travel costs.

Even so, this is still much the cheapest of the three options and certainly the most convenient for most fans in the UK.

The game in Germany is another possibility but would incur much more in the way of travel and accommodation costs.

Pros

• By far the cheaper option for most UK fans.
• Less time needed to attend the game.
• Plenty of great events across the UK in support of the International Series which you can attend.

Cons

• Not the authentic US NFL game experience.
• Your favourite NFL team may not be selected for an International Series game for many years.
• Hotel costs in London are very expensive compared to other cities.

2. Plan your own trip to the home of your favourite NFL team (or one of their road trips).

Another option is to plan a trip yourself to take in your favourite NFL team playing, most likely at home, but potentially on the road too. This is especially the case if your team tends to sell out their home fixtures (such as the Green Bay Packers do).

Here you will be acting as your own travel agent, and you will need to sort out the following: –

• Ticket(s) to the game you want to attend.
• Accommodation & Travel while in the United States.
• Return Flights
• Airport Transfers
• Spending Money (plenty of it)
• Time off work
• Valid Passport & ESTA

In addition to attending the game, you may also want to factor in visiting the stadium and attending the tailgating that takes place ahead of each game for your favourite NFL team. It is also worthwhile visiting some of the other big tourist attractions in the local area.

This is not an easy thing to pull together in a short space of time, so it is wise to plan the trip carefully. Then you will avoid many of the problems people who plan their own trip face.

You don’t want a trip of a lifetime to watch your favourite NFL team turn into a disaster!

The cost of organising your own trip can vary from a few thousand to tens of thousands of pounds.

Pros

• You get the trip you want to the city you want to watch your favourite NFL team.
• You can personalise the trip exactly how you want it (within budget and time constraints)
• You get to experience the authentic American NFL Game Day experience (and perhaps also local High School and College Football games if your time and budget can extend to it).

Cons

• The time it takes to arrange such a trip is extensive.
• It can be difficult to source tickets for several NFL teams, especially for their home games.
• By booking the different parts of the trip independently, you are responsible for all aspects of the trip.
• Costs for such a trip as above can very quickly escalate.

3. Book yourself onto one of the specialist package trips available for many of the NFL 32 teams.

The most cost-effective way to watch your favourite NFL team in the United States is to use a company that specialises in organising NFL-themed trips. Specifically for fans from the United Kingdom.

There are a good number of these companies available nowadays. Many will offer pre-set packages that include all aspects of your trip, such as flights, accommodation, tickets to the game to watch your favourite NFL team in action and perhaps even additional items. These additional items can include high school or college football games, or NBA or MLB games or other sports events occurring at the same time as your trip.

They can also take in local attractions. So, for example, if you were heading to New York to watch the Giants or Jets in action, your trip may also encompass a trip to Manhattan or similar.

Although we are not recommending any company, some of the options to consider for a pre-planned and organised trip include those offered by: –

• Touchdown Trips
• Elite Sports Travel
• Sportsbreaks
• Sports Traveler
• BookSeats
• Spectate Travel

Expect to pay anywhere between £1,000 to £5,000 for your trip depending on a number of factors. However, for key fixtures and playoff games, or the Super Bowl, the prices can increase dramatically.

Pros

• Your trip is insured, and you can pay for your trip in instalments with some companies.
• There is a degree of personalisation available if you contact the company in advance.
• Most trips include all the key NFL game day experiences such as tailgating. Often it will also include a trip to the team museum or a stadium tour etc.
• Your trip is guided, meaning you have an expert on hand to help you throughout the trip.
• Quick and easy to sort compared to organising your own trip/

Cons

• The costs for a trip for some popular teams and games can be expensive.
• Your trip is pre-determined, so there’s not much scope to personalise the trip.
• You do not decide on flights or accommodation, they are what the company has organised.

Can’t Get to The U.S Just Yet? Have a Bet Instead!

If the cost of a trip to see your favourite NFL Team is a bit beyond you at the moment, you aren’t alone.

But there is another option for a bit of fin with your NFL favourites and that is to enjoy a bet on them!

Bet365 Sport offers an extensive range of NFL markets throughout the year. This includes betting on a wide range of markets such as:

• Future Super Bowl Winner
• Conference Champions
• Divisional Champions
• MVP of the Season
• Rookie of the Year
• Draft Betting

On top of this there is an extensive range of betting markets available on the regular season. This runs from September through to early January. Here your favourite NFL team will face 17 matches to try and claim a spot in the playoffs.

This includes a massive choice of bets on each individual game, plus extensive Live Betting when the games are in progress!

So whether it is the pre-season, regular season, playoffs, Super Bowl or post-season, you will always find great betting on your NFL Favourite team and more at bet365 Sport!