There was a report last week from ESPN1000 that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be facing the Chicago Bears in London, England during the 2011 season. This report has now been officially confirmed and released: the Bears and Bucs will play in London on Sunday, October 23 at 1:00 PM EST (6:00 PM UK time).
There have been four NFL games played in London since 2007, and the Buccaneers played there as recently as 2009. While this is good exposure for the franchise, it does mean that season ticket holders now have one less game as a part of their package. Season ticket holders will be reimbursed for that game if they have already paid in full, and if not, their payment plan will be adjusted accordingly.
The Bucs are very excited about the possibility of expanded branding oversees. According to the press release:
"We are honored to be selected to participate in the NFL International Series for a second time," said Buccaneers co-chairman BRYAN GLAZER. "We are looking forward to promoting Tampa Bay’s emerging young team on the world stage. We have the longest running fan club of any NFL team in the UK and look forward to seeing so many familiar faces from the Bucs UK fan club at the game."
The game will be available on FOX in the United States, and on Sky Sports and BBC Radio in the United Kingdom. If the labor situation is not resolved by August 1st, then the game reverts to Tampa Bay.
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