Two games in London moved back to Florida
JACKSONVILLE — The Jaguars will not play two games in London this coming season because the NFL announced Monday it is calling off its annual International Series due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to the Jaguars’ two games at Wembley Stadium, the NFL was set to hold two other games in London and one in Mexico.
The NFL said in a statement that it would schedule all 2020 games in the United States for the entire season to be played in NFL teams’ stadiums under consistent protocols focused on the well-being of players, personnel and fans.
“We thank our incredible fans in those territories for their passionate support of the NFL,” said Christopher Halpin, the NFL’s executive vice president. “We will continue to serve them through our outstanding media partners and by being active supporters of both grassroots football and COVID-19 relief efforts in Mexico and the UK. We look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season.”
The Jaguars have played a game in London every season since 2013, and this coming season would have been the final year of the contract. During the annual state of the franchise address last year, the Jaguars said the game played in London account for 11 percent of the team’s local revenue.
The Jaguars confirmed they will have an eightgame home schedule for the 2020 season at TIAA Bank Field.
The NFL is expecting to release the full 16-game regular-season schedule this week.
The franchise announced a new ticket option — Back to Football Flex
Plan — that’s available to both new and renewing season-ticket holders. As part of the plan, the Jaguars have extended the deadline for existing season ticket members to renew their seats to June 5.
No new payments season tickets will be until June 20.
Current season-ticket members, both renewed and non-renewed, will have the option to include both games in their membership.
New season-ticket memberships will now include all 10 home games (eight regular-season and two preseason).
The Jaguars’ traditional seven-month extended payment plan remains available for 2020 season-ticket purchases. The franchise is also offering season-ticket holders a two-year season-ticket package that allows for a significant deferral of the first-year payment.
Due to the evolving nature of COVID-19, full refunds for required on 2020 season-ticket memberships will be available to all season-ticket holders at any time before the start of the NFL season, the franchise announced.
Also, existing seasonticket members facing a COVID-19 medical hardship are eligible to take a year off with no effect on their membership status or loss of their seats.
“Our ticket sales and service team members, along with others in the organization, have spent the last few weeks checking in with all of our season-ticket members,” team president Mark Lamping said. “The most common emotion we’ve sensed is one of cautious optimism.
“Everyone is eager to get back to football and their game-day traditions, but we understand that the unknown has made it difficult for many of our seasonticket members to commit. We hope these new options give our fans both flexibility and peace of mind that the Jaguars family is here for them now and always.”
Owner Shad Khan and Lamping announced Feb. 4 that the franchise would be playing a second home game in London. They both emphasized the necessity because the team’s revenue from tickets and sponsorships in Jacksonville is considerably less than what NFL teams earn in bigger markets.
The decision was met with significant opposition from the Jaguars fan base. A fan group, the Bold City Brigade, launched a campaign against the second game in London so fans could voice their opposition.