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Football London
Football London
Sport
Rob Guest

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy on the changes that could affect Premier League clubs in the future

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosted its first ever NFL game back in October as Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears went head-to-head in N17.

With American football played in the capital since 2007 as part of the international series, Spurs' state-of-the-art new home opened its doors to the sport for the very first time as the Raiders came out on top with a 24-21 victory.

Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers then played each other at the stadium a week later and more games will follow over the next decade due to the club's 10-year deal with the NFL to host at least two London games a year.

Whereas NFL fixtures are now played outside of the United States on a regular basis, Premier League football has so far remained in the UK despite a lot of speculation that games would be played in different countries.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was asked about the possibility of games taking place abroad during an interview with Varsity, the Cambridge United student newspaper, and he stated that it is something that can never be ruled out completely.

"It’s important that we are always open-minded to anything that is proposed," he said. "We are in an industry where we are competing for talent, viewership and sponsors with other leagues across the world alongside other sports so we can never rule it out completely.

"In Spain, they are playing the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia this year, so we’ve got to be conscious that there needs to be a balance."

Spurs could have been playing in Qatar last month in the FIFA Club World Cup had they beaten Liverpool in the Champions League final in Madrid at the start of June.

Still a competition many fans don't particularly take much notice of, Levy believes the competition's profile could skyrocket in the coming years if more clubs from the UK take part instead of just the Champions League winner.

"I suspect there will be more clubs from the UK participating in the future and that in itself will elevate its profile in this country," he added.

"It’s possible that it could be a substitute for pre-season games in certain territories around the world one day too.

"I can certainly see it becoming more important in the future."

Another change the Spurs supremo believes could take place in this country in the not too distant future is in regards to the TV blackout on a Saturday as no live football can be shown between 2.45pm and 5.15pm.

"Personally, I’m not so wedded to something that is so historic," he said. "Just because it has always been there doesn’t mean it needs to be there forever.

"I think it is something that could be looked at in the future."

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