Montreal is among the finalist cities to host NFL International Series games over the next few seasons.
It’s big. Very, very big. Since the creation of the International Series in 2007, only three foreign cities have hosted games: London (33 times), Mexico City (5 times) and Munich (1 time). The NFL now wants to expand this initiative to other countries. According to my information, the league wants to present regular season games in two Canadian cities.
Not in 10 years.
Maybe next season.
Montreal’s chances?
Take nothing for granted, I am told. But there are still reasons for optimism. The NFL has just confirmed to the two promoters, the City of Montreal and Olympic Park, that their candidacy has successfully passed the first evaluation phase. Next step: the choice of cities selected for the 2023 season. The winners will be announced in a few weeks. It is unknown which other Canadian cities are candidates.
In the Montreal camp, we believe we have several assets to seduce the NFL. No need to explain to you the festive reputation of the city. Place des Festivals would be perfect for hosting league promotional activities. For matches, it would take place at the Olympic Stadium, where a new high-quality artificial turf has just been installed. I walked on it a few days ago and I can confirm that it is much more pleasant than the previous surface.
If Montreal’s bid is successful, the promoters expect to present one or two games. If successful, the deal could be extended for two more seasons. In preliminary discussions, two clubs have been mentioned for matches in Canada: the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks.
I could not get my hands on the financial package for the application. However, I have no doubt that it would be a huge success at the box office. Tickets would sell out in minutes. To give you an idea of the excitement generated by the International Series elsewhere in the world, the NFL estimates that it could have sold three million tickets for the game presented in Munich last fall.
In addition, Montreal has a rich football tradition. It has been played since the end of the 19th century.e century. First in the form of football-rugby, at McGill University, then in its Canadian variant, notably with the Alouettes. The professional leagues in the United States have been interested in the Quebec market for a long time.
In 1948, the Brooklyn Dodgers – yes, like the baseball team – faced the Alouettes at Delorimier Stadium, in an exhibition game that drew over 10,000 spectators. In 1961, the Chicago Bears visited the Alouettes, at Molson Stadium, also as part of an interleague series.
In 1969, the Expos invited four NFL clubs for two exhibition games at Jarry Park: Patriots vs. Lions, and Giants vs. Steelers. This time it was more difficult. In his book Montreal Soccer, my former colleague Daniel Lemay talks about the media coverage of the event, seen from the United States. the New York Times had explained the small crowds by the emergence of “a Canadian nationalism which no longer necessarily accepts everything that comes from the United States as better”. It will take almost 20 years for the NFL to return to Montreal. In 1988, the New York Jets defeated the Cleveland Browns in an exhibition game at Olympic Stadium. Two years later, the Steelers and the Patriots returned to town, also for a preseason game.
For 2023, it would be real games, which would count in the general classification.
Montrealers have recently proven that they are capable of enthusiastically supporting major international sporting events, such as the World Gymnastics Championships, the F1 Grand Prix of Canada and the National Bank Open. The NHL Draft last summer was also a huge popular success.
And now the NFL?
It’s worth taking the long game.