Jaguars owner Shad Khan has cleared another important hurdle in his attempt to buy Wembley Stadium, but as he’s done so he is saying the move will only strengthen the Jaguars in Jacksonville, and not result in a relocation to London.
The board of the English Football Association has approved the sale moving forward, although there’s still at least one more hurdle to clear when the sale goes before the Football Association Council. The BBC reported that Khan wants to move the Jaguars to London, but the Jaguars released a statement from Khan saying he remains focused on Jacksonville.
“The Jaguars’ investment in London as our home away from home, at a time when other NFL teams are becoming more interested in the UK, will be protected and enhanced,” Khan said in a statement. “And here in Jacksonville, our footing as a small-market NFL franchise will be significantly strengthened by the new local revenue streams that we will be able to count on well into the future.”
Ultimately, however, Wembley Stadium may prove to be a more lucrative site for home games than TIAA Bank Field. And even the Jaguars website acknowledges that “Khan owning Wembley Stadium absolutely will mean the Jaguars making more money when they play there.” If Khan can make more money when the Jaguars play at Wembley for one game a year, will he soon want his team playing two games a year there? Or three, or four? Or eight? For now he says no. Whether that changes in the future remains to be seen.
