The National Football League held its first-ever regular season game in Munich, Germany, Nov. 13, 2022, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Seattle Seahawks.
There were more than 69,000 in attendance for the sold-out game in the Allianz Arena, home of the Football Club Bayern Munich and at least 100 of those 69,000 were from the Kaiserslautern Military Community as RTT Travel and the 86th Force Support Squadron bused the football fans round trip from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to Munich.
“That experience was outstanding,” said John Bulley, 86th Force Support Squadron. “I think it’s amazing to see that they’ve incorporated the armed forces from both the United States and Germany as a part of their pregame ceremony. Because this is such a huge American event overseas, it’s great that they incorporate all the military service members and give them representation at events like this.”
During the opening ceremony, German and U.S. military personnel joined together in displaying the German and U.S. flags in the center of the field.
The military involvement prior to the game was a part of an overarching NFL commitment to service members, veterans, and their families that they call “Salute to Service.” With 11 U.S. military installations and thousands of service members across the country, this game gave them the opportunity to enjoy America’s most popular sports while serving aboard.
“Some of our military are here [in Germany] for years and they aren’t able to go to their home towns to cheer on their home teams, so for the teams to come here to Munich, I think is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Jana Marshall, RTT Travel group travel department supervisor.
This won’t be the last game being held in Germany. The NFL has four games total scheduled to be played in Germany before 2025. The league plans to schedule an annual game held in Munich or Frankfurt in alternating years with each hosting twice. After a successful first game, the league is already discussing expanding the future of NFL games played in Germany past 2025.
"Munich will forever be a part of NFL history, in what was a significant milestone in the continued growth of the League globally and for our fans in Germany,” said Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner. “Our first international regular season game in Germany comes after many years of planning and was a tremendous success. We are grateful to the city and to our German fans, who were extremely passionate and respectful, and welcomed the NFL with open arms. We look forward to returning to Germany in 2023 and bringing the NFL to more fans in the future."
As for the next game coming to Germany, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King, there are “growing indications” that the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs could be teams that play next season.
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.22.2022 05:49 |
| Story ID: | 433759 |
| Location: | MUNICH, DE |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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