Despite acknowledging growing support for the NFL in Britain, Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill has raised concerns over expanding the sport to the UK.
Bidwill believes that the sizable distance between continents and passage through at least five different time zones will be a big issue for both the UK-based team and sides from the US.
Bidwill is currently in London assessing facilities at Wembley and Twickenham ahead of the NFL’s annual visit to London, in which four fixtures will be played across the two venues.
And speaking to Sky Sports News HQ, he said: “We’re getting a lot of support for the NFL over here, but I think one of the big things is going to be the travel; the different time zones and how it might impact the athletes playing here and travelling to play here.
“One of the things we really care about is our players’ health. We want to see how this is going to impact the athlete and we want to make sure that there is no competitive imbalance.”
“If we do put a team here - many time zones and miles away - we do want to make sure that their bodies can perform at a high level, whether they’re playing here or back in the United States.
“When you look at the time-difference between here and the Pacific Coast, it is eight hours, so people’s body clocks can be off.
“We want to make sure that our players’ games are the best they can be, and that the athletes can perform to their best potential. Therefore this is going to be a big issue for us.”
Not dismissing the chance of a British NFL team entirely, Bidwill said NFL executives will “continue to study it, but I don’t think there’s any timeline out there”, and his comments suggest that NFL executive vice-president Mark Waller’s desire to set up an NFL team in England in the near future is unlikely.
Waller told Sky Sports News HQ earlier this year that, while there is no specific timetable for the introduction of an NFL team based in England, he believes he would have personally failed in his role if it does not happen by 2022.
London will host NFL games for the 10th consecutive year this autumn, with two matches each to be played at Twickenham and Wembley.
Bidwill’s Arizona Cardinals will visit London for the first time to take on league rivals the LA Rams at Twickenham on 22 October, while the Minnesota Vikings face the Cleveland Browns on 29 October.
The two Wembley fixtures include Baltimore Ravens v Jacksonville Jaguars on 24 September and Miami Dolphins v New Orleans Saints on 1 October.
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The regular season of home and away matches run from September to December 2017, culminating in PlayOffs from January 6, 2018 and the Super Bowl on February 4, 2018 at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota to determine the world champion.
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