Kansas City Chiefs' strategy to expand UK fandom: cultural connections and mascot diplomacy
LONDON (AP) — In an offseason huddle at the NFL's London headquarters, the Kansas City Chiefs are drawing up a game plan to win over fans in a crowded UK market.
They're getting input from the locals, and there's good news.
'There is something about that younger generation, in the UK specifically, they are really into U.S. sports at the moment,' says Louise Johnson, chief executive of marketing agency Fuse. 'There's a moment in time that you can really capitalize on.'
Chiefs executives visited London after the team added the UK to its list of countries in the NFL's global markets program, which puts teams in the driver's seat to increase fandom overall — as well as land commercial partnerships individually.
A day that began meeting with local agencies in the NFL's glass-enclosed eighth-floor office overlooking Leicester Square ended along the banks of the Thames, where a 'Chiefs cab' was the meeting point to surprise a local fan with a ticket giveaway.
'The UK is another puzzle piece in the larger globalization of the brand,' said Lara Krug, the team's chief media and marketing officer, echoing a franchise theme of becoming the ' world's team.'
Krug led the team's delegation that included business, social media and public relations representatives. Besides marketing agencies, they also met with NFL officials. The takeaways were clear for growing the Chiefs' fanbase.
'One, that 12-to-24 (aged) audience is where there is the biggest opportunity,' she told The Associated Press. '(They're) very much into the cultural part of the NFL and the Americana of it all.'
Second, find creative ways to connect to local fans. The Chicago Bears did soccer-style jerseys last year for their London game.
'The league and the clubs have done a great job on growing the game,' Krug said. 'We see the opportunity of reaching more fans and doing it from a cultural lens.'
Mahomes, Kelce and KC Wolf
Expanding your fan base is much easier when your quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is the face of the league, and your star tight end, Travis Kelce, is dating global pop star Taylor Swift. Kelce was the UK's top-selling NFL jersey in 2024.
The Chiefs have also played in five of the last six Super Bowls and won three of them.
Still, there are eight other NFL teams with the same rights the Chiefs have in Britain — and six of them have been there longer.
Social media content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram are crucial, especially because NFL fans in the UK over-index on daily social media use compared to other fans, the Chiefs said.
But some old-school methods work too.
Hello, KC Wolf.
'We know mascots do really well in the markets, it becomes an ambassador,' Krug said.
KC Wolf was on hand in Frankfurt, Germany in 2023 when the Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 21-14.
They'll soon be looking for 'multiple European-based mascots of our KC Wolf,' Krug said.
'That will be something that we launch later this year,' she said, 'so having KC Wolf show up in a few of our markets more frequently.'
Meetings aside, being on the ground in London was helpful in other ways: Krug noted the long line at a Formula One promotion in the Lego store in Leicester Square.
The Chiefs have experimented before. Last year the team partnered with Hallmark — headquartered in Kansas City — on ' Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. '
Going international
In the NFL's global markets program, Kansas City has rights in seven countries — only the Los Angeles Rams have as many. All but one — Mexico — of the Chiefs' markets are in Europe. The team added the UK, Ireland and Spain this year.
The team's brass believes the best way to gain fans in foreign markets is to play games there. The Chiefs won their only London game, back in 2015. They are 3-0 overall in regular-season international games.
Dublin, Madrid and Berlin are all new host cities this season.
The Chiefs will play internationally this season — but not in Europe. They open in Brazil on Sept. 5 when they face the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo.
That's the first of seven international NFL games in 2025 — the most ever in one season — and Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to eventually get to 16 games per year. Goodell has also floated the idea of creating a European division and staging a Super Bowl outside the United States. One theory is the league will package the international games into a billion-dollar rights deal.
Team and league data show that the Chiefs are already popular internationally.
They have the largest overall German-language social media following at nearly 150,000. For consumer products sales, the Chiefs rank No. 1 in the 'DACH' region of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and No. 2 in Mexico. In international Game Pass viewing, the Chiefs were the most-watched team in DACH and Mexico last season.
NFL says UK still has room to grow
The Chiefs brought several British 'influencers' to a game at Arrowhead Stadium last season. They included ' Formz,' a Tottenham fan who raps Premier League weekly recaps and sings about heartbreak; he has 1 million followers on TikTok.
The league saw 'significant growth' in UK fandom last year, said Henry Hodgson, the NFL's general manager for the UK and Ireland.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
Confidence is high enough that three teams — the Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers — applied for and were awarded UK rights starting this season, joining the six others already in the market.
'For now, we don't want to cap it,' Hodgson told the AP. 'We see the benefit of these teams being involved in the market. It's something that the NFL will monitor, not just in the UK but in all the markets that the global markets program exists in and make sure that all of the clubs can be successful in all the markets they're in.'
Eleven teams have rights in Germany. Mexico is next highest with 10.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Observer
21 minutes ago
- National Observer
Carney, NATO allies will debate new defence spending target today
NATO leaders are expected to decide today whether to more than double the alliance's defence spending target. Prime Minister Mark Carney is among the leaders around the table at the annual leaders' summit in The Hague, where a proposal is being discussed to increase the target to five per cent of annual GDP, up from the current two per cent. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte 's proposal would break that into two parts. The first 3.5 per cent would be for core defence needs including jets and weapons, and the remaining 1.5 per cent on defence-adjacent investments including infrastructure and cybersecurity. Before the official meeting of the North Atlantic Council, Carney held bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luxon, and the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kristen Michal. The agenda was delayed Wednesday, with leaders still arriving as of 10:30 a.m., when their meeting was scheduled to begin. Carney told CNN International on Tuesday that Canada will reach the target in part by developing deposits of critical minerals and that some of the work will be done in partnership with the European Union, EU member states, the U.K. and other allies. He also said five per cent of GDP would mean a $150 billion defence budget for Canada. NATO said in 2024 Canada spent $41 billion. All 32 NATO member states have to agree on a new spending target and will also have to debate the timeline for its implementation. US President Donald Trump left Washington for The Hague on Tuesday. Even before his arrival, Trump had a major effect on the summit. Earlier this year, Trump suggested the US might abandon its commitments to the alliance if member countries don't meet their defence spending targets. The president generated more uncertainty Tuesday when he said his commitment to the mutual defence guarantee in the NATO treaty "depends on your definition" of that guarantee. Pressed later by reporters, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he has no doubt about the US commitment to NATO and Article 5, the portion of the NATO treaty which says an armed attack on one member is an attack on all. Trump, who has long accused the alliance of not paying its fair share toward the cost of its defence, is also the key driver behind the plan to hike members' defence spending target. At a dinner event with NATO leaders Tuesday, Rutte thanked Trump for pushing for a spending hike and getting Europe to "truly step up." Kerry Buck, the former Canadian ambassador to NATO, told The Canadian Press that it's in the interests of Canada and European allies to keep the US in NATO as "deep and as long as possible." "Whatever we can do to get through this NATO summit with few public rifts between the US and other allies on anything, and satisfy a very long-standing US demand to rebalance defence spending, that will be good for Canada because NATO's good for Canada," Buck said. Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany have all committed to the five per cent goal. NATO nations closer to the borders of Ukraine, Russia and its ally Belarus have also pledged to do so. But some are balking, including Spain and Slovakia. Rutte warned Monday that no country can opt out of the target and that progress made toward the new target will be reviewed in four years.
Toronto Star
25 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
NATO leaders endorse historic plan to boost defense spending
NATO leaders agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP and renewed their commitment to mutual defense in an historic move that comes at the time of an increasingly belligerent Russia. The decision from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 32 members at their high-stakes summit in The Hague is a major win for Donald Trump who has repeatedly lambasted his European allies for underspending on security. Even on his way to the summit, the US president appeared to question the key tenet of the alliance known as Article 5, which requires members to defend each other from attack.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
FIFA investigates if Real Madrid's Rüdiger was racially abused by opponent at Club World Cup
MIAMI (AP) — FIFA has opened a disciplinary case at the Club World Cup after Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger claimed he was racially abused by Pachuca captain Gustavo Cabral. Rüdiger, who is Black, and Cabral clashed in the final minutes of Madrid's 3-1 win Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. After the German player spoke to referee Ramon Abatti, the Brazilian match official made the FIFA-approved signal with raised arms crossed to start an anti-discrimination protocol. FIFA confirmed late Tuesday it is formally investigating. 'Following an assessment of the match reports, the FIFA disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against Pachuca player Gustavo Cabral in relation to the incident involving him and Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger,' the soccer body said. A verdict is likely before Pachuca plays Thursday in its final Group H game, against Al Hilal in Nashville. It will be Pachuca's last game at the Club World Cup because the Mexican team cannot finish higher than third in the standings and will not advance to the round of 16. The 39-year-old Cabral has denied the racism allegation and said he used an insult that is common in his native Argentina. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ___ AP soccer:
