At a time when NFL teams are moving from city to city to find more lucrative stadium options, the league is putting some money into a stadium overseas.
The NFL has spent $12.8 million on the construction of a new stadium for soccer team Tottenham Hotspur in London, according to ESPN.
Tottenham and the NFL agreed before construction began that the league would contribute some of the money toward the $1 billion stadium, and in return the league would get amenities including NFL-sized locker rooms and an NFL-caliber playing surface. The stadium will have a grass field for soccer games and slide in field turf for NFL games.
Starting next year, the NFL plans to play two games a year at Tottenham’s stadium, as well as one game at the iconic Wembley Stadium and one game at rugby union’s Twickenham Stadium.
At this point, the NFL playing four games a year in London looks like the minimum. The league is continuing to invest in what it believes will be a lucrative overseas market for many years to come.