I’ve been a fan of American Football since I was a kid, when my Dad and I used to watch it on C4 on a Sunday evening. That was way back in 1982 when coverage of the American sport was first broadcast on a weekly basis.

I even went as far as begging my parents to buy me a pair of Pony’s Linebacker trainers that launched in 1983, which were my pride and joy alongside my Jets jersey.

My love of Americana is strong, and every time I visit the states, I search out sporting events. For me sporting events show the essence of a nation and their psyche, people come from all backgrounds to bond and enjoy, plus I love the movement and hum of huge crowds. My team is the New York Jets, probably because of Jetson’s cartoon and the allure of New York. Over the years I’ve been to the US many times and even lived the Californian dream for a while.

San Francisco 49ers at the old Candlestick stadium was my first NFL experience, but I’ve also seen my beloved Jets in New York, The Knicks (Basketball) at Madison Square Gardens, Detroit Tigers (Baseball), Toronto Maple Leafs (Ice Hockey) and the New York Red Bull’s (Football aka Soccer) plus a load of others.

So when Captain Morgan, the official sponsor of the NFL, approached me with the opportunity to actually get as close to ‘playing’ in the NFL as I possibly could, at the Tottenham Hotspurs purpose build £1 billion stadium, I jumped at the chance. It was to launch the first in a series of in-real-location (IRL) gaming experiences by Captain Morgan, who want to “Give fans the opportunity to really step off the sofa and into the gaming worlds they love… playing with the pros on the actual field”.

I warmed up on the pitch before the ‘game’ began – the ‘game’ consisted of playing Madden ’23 (The computer game named after the legendary NFL player, John Madden) on a giant screen on the pitch. My opponents; only two NFL legends – former defensive back and media pundit Jason Bell and London born and raised ex-pro Jack Crawford.
I didn’t do too well at the actual game itself… but controlling life size players, on the pitch, against NFL players in the 63,000 seater stadium, it was a once in a life time experience – as the ‘crowd’ roared, I closed my eyes and imagined scoring a super bowl winning touch down, after a ‘Hail Mary’ throw from John Madden himself.

Jason Bell told me “It felt great to be back out on the pitch again putting in big tackles, even if it was controlling a player on the big screen this time. Gaming in the NFL stadium is about as immersive experience as you can get, without stepping out in a real game.” 

I also had a good chat with Jack Crawford, who was brought up in Kilburn and went to school with Harry Potter aka Daniel Radcliffe. He played for ten seasons in the NFL for teams including The Raiders and Cowboys. He agreed that the US is like 50 different countries, and as a player he’d visited most states, which demonstrated the diversity and passion for the NFL. A sport that’s no longer confined to the US and has seen games across the globe including in Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, as well as the UK.

I’ll be looking out for the NFL’s return to London in 2023, but for now, I’m super excited about what’s next from Captain Morgan and their IRL gaming series, keep an eye on their socials for more info.

Words by Woody Anderson