College football’s international future may be arriving faster than many Americans realize.
On today’s episode of Show Pony Live!, I’m joined by George Somerville, one of the most passionate and knowledgeable voices covering American football from overseas. George joins us from Glasgow, Scotland, where he has helped build coverage and awareness of the sport through College Chaps and Touchdown UK.
The timing could not be better.
This week came the announcement that Syracuse Orange football and Wake Forest Demon Deacons football will open the 2027 season in Canada, another major sign that college football is beginning to think globally in a way it never truly has before.
George explains why this matters, why interest overseas is growing rapidly, and why American administrators may only be scratching the surface of what the sport could become internationally.
One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation is how much groundwork the NFL has already laid overseas. The league’s presence in London has transformed over the last decade from a novelty into something much more substantial. Fans in the UK now consume the sport year-round. Games at Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are major events, and younger fans are increasingly growing up with American football as part of their sports culture.
George specifically discusses the role the Jacksonville Jaguars have played in helping build the game internationally. Their consistent commitment to London games and overseas branding helped normalize the NFL abroad and created long-term engagement instead of one-off spectacles.
We also spend time discussing the NFL Academy in England and why it could become one of the most important developmental pipelines for the future of the sport. The academy has opened doors for international athletes to develop at a higher level and potentially reach American colleges and eventually the NFL itself.
George will also be covering this year’s Union Jack Classic between Kansas Jayhawks football and Arizona State Sun Devils football at Wembley Stadium, and he explains why events like this are so important for exposing international audiences to the pageantry and emotion that make college football different from every other sport.
This was one of my favorite conversations in a while because it reminds us that the game we often take for granted here in America still feels fresh, unique and fascinating to millions of people around the world.
And if college football leadership is smart, they’ll realize there’s an enormous opportunity sitting right in front of them.
Topics Covered
Syracuse and Wake Forest opening the 2027 season in Canada
The growth of American football fandom in the UK
Why the NFL’s international strategy has worked
The Jaguars’ impact overseas
The NFL Academy and player development
The Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium
Why college football’s atmosphere translates globally
Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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