So did any of you watch the American Football at Wembley yesterday? I must confess I was faintly intrigued by the whole spectacle, even though it felt strangely incongruous watching America's finest play at the home of football. The razzamatazz I do get. The cheerleaders, the man mountains, the outfits, you have to admit there is more than a little pantomime about it. And the vocabulary of the sport is even more bewildering.

All the talk of off-fence and dee-fence, linebacker, sacking, turnovers, blimey it was a little disconcerting. But there is something strangely compelling about it all and okay, I hold my hands up, I find it awfully watchable.

And there was the added attraction of gawping at Tom Brady - who is married to supermodel, Gisele Bundchen, who used to go out with Leonardo Di Caprio. Still with me? I'm not sure I follow it all myself. But they are kind of like the Posh and Becks of American football ..... apparently.....

And there are quite a few celebrity fans here in the UK. Vernon Kay, Trevor Nelson and Joe Calzaghe to name but a few. And my colleague at BBC Radio 5 Live Colin Murray is an absolute fanatic about all sports American.

So seeing the NFL in all its glory inspired me to seek out the British equivalent and I must say it is quite a contrast. The New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can certainly teach their British counterparts a thing or two about names. Lancashire Wolverines, Bolton Bulldogs, Farnham Fast Lane Knights (I'm really not kidding) and Forth Valley Fusion, don't have quite the same aura of invincibility about them.

But I was surprised to see such a large number of teams - around 50 in fact. Participatory numbers are hard to track down, but there are, I'm told, large numbers of young people taking up the sport in the UK. And the fact that the NFL has chosen to bring a game here for the 3rd season in a row, says something about their commitment to the sport in Europe and its appeal here.

There is speculation there will be two NFL fixtures here next year and even talk of a UK-based franchise in the next 10 years or so. That may be a pipedream, but it is certainly here to stay as a regular feature of the sporting calendar and long may it continue. I will be poised next year with the popcorn, hotdogs, pretzels, Ben & Jerry's and rootbeer...... Okay maybe not the rootbeer. Will you?

For more information then check out http://www.bafl.org.uk/

Tags: New England Patriot, Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Vernon Kay, Colin Murray, Joe Calzaghe, Posh and Becks

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