Jacksonville’s annual London stay has become more than a pair of games on the schedule. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium, Jaguars supporters filled a central London pub for a team-themed night, while the club’s youth flag football operation brought students and fans to practice at The Grove.
Jaguars turn London pub teal ahead of Wembley game
The Greenwood sports pub on Victoria Street was temporarily rebranded as “Tealwood” on Thursday night for a three-hour Jaguars fan event. It was one of several U.K.-based gatherings arranged around Jacksonville’s London games, with additional events scheduled for Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.
The club also held a similar fan night the previous week before its game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Jacksonville won that contest 19-17 when Cam Little hit a 57-yard field goal on the final play.
Thursday’s gathering featured Jaguars cheerleaders, mascot Jaxson de Ville and a replay of season highlights across 17 television screens. Sky Sports analyst Phoebe Schecter hosted alongside former NFL cornerback Jason Bell and British radio personality Jay Lawrence.
Fans packed both floors wearing Jaguars gear, with jerseys representing current players including Trevor Lawrence, Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange and Josh Hines-Allen, plus former standouts Fred Taylor and Keenan McCardell.
London fan base grows through yearly visits
Jacksonville first played in London in 2013 and has now made 15 appearances in the city. The franchise has built its U.K. footprint through its Union Jax supporters group, player appearances, a junior cheerleading program and its Reward Rows initiative, which brings hundreds of students to London games each year.
Schecter, a former Buffalo Bills coaching intern and one of the earliest members of Great Britain’s national American football team, said the Jaguars have become closely associated with the sport’s growth in the country.
“Even if someone did not know the NFL, they would still recognize the Jaguars as their team,” Schecter said. She added that British supporters have embraced the club’s culture, costumes and “Duuuval” chant in the same way dedicated fan communities have developed in the United States.
- Francis Sweeney has attended Jacksonville’s London games for the last five years and arrived in an oversized Jaguars hat, jersey and jacket while carrying a team-themed wrestling belt.
- Sweeney said his wife, despite not following other sports, has become devoted to the Jaguars.
- Jamie Phillips has supported Jacksonville for 15 years and was the team’s 2024 nominee for NFL International Fan of the Year.
- Phillips said he was drawn to the Jaguars because he identified with an underdog franchise, even as the team had recorded only three winning seasons since the start of the 2000s when he became a fan.
Phillips wore a Jaguars mascot-style fuzzy hat at Friday’s practice, held in 59-degree weather at The Grove resort. The Jaguars have used the site as their London headquarters since arriving on Oct. 9.
JagTag program brings students onto practice field
About 200 supporters received tickets for Friday’s practice, joined by students from primary and secondary schools around London. The students take part in JagTag, Jacksonville’s U.K. flag football program for players ages 8 through 18.
After practice, 16 members of the Jaguars’ practice squad were set to work with the students on the field, offering instruction and leading drills.
JagTag began in 2016 with approximately 1,200 participants at a small group of West London schools. The program has since expanded to 360 schools across six major cities and 12 towns in the London area, reaching 100,000 participants in 2024.
The early effort was connected to Fulham, the English soccer club owned by Jaguars owner Shad Khan. Jaguars U.K. grassroots manager Andy Scott said the program began in roughly six schools in Fulham before gradually expanding its reach.
Trivia night recalls Jaguars’ international history
A Jaguars quiz became the centerpiece of the Tealwood event, testing fans on the franchise’s 12-year London history and international-game records.
- Jacksonville wore black uniforms in its first London game in 2013.
- The Jaguars have faced 13 different opponents in London.
- They have played San Francisco, Dallas, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Houston, Denver, Atlanta, New England, the Los Angeles Rams, Miami and Chicago once each, while meeting Buffalo and Philadelphia twice.
- Parker Washington owns the longest touchdown in an international game, returning a punt 97 yards.
Jaguars fans Ben Conway and Joel Neumann attended Friday’s practice after being at last week’s victory over Philadelphia. The pair run the Endzone Near You social media accounts and produce daily NFL content. They plan to be back in the stands Sunday at Wembley.
One of their biggest posts from the Eagles game captured the swing of the final seconds: Philadelphia fans celebrated Jake Elliott’s 48-yard field goal that put the Eagles ahead 17-16, before Little answered with the game-winner as time expired.
Schecter said the London takeover events have become a familiar part of the Jaguars’ visits and can help the franchise add still more supporters. “People want to belong to something and feel they are part of a team,” she said. “The Jaguars and that ‘Duuuval’ chant give them something they can make their own.”
