Events

NFL details economic impact of historic Allianz Arena game

Featured image credit: Herr Bohn on Unsplash

The NFL American football league has revealed that last year’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks at Munich’s Allianz Arena had a total economic impact of €70.2m (£61.5m/$77.2m) on the German city.

A crowd of 69,811 attended the fixture, which was the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Germany.

The NFL has now released an impact assessment report, compiled by The Sports Consultancy Group, which details the impact the game had on the local area. The study found that the game generated €32.2m in direct spending, with NFL fans spending, on average, €333 per day in Munich over the game weekend.

The latter figure is significantly higher than the average Munich visitor spend of €225 per day. The game also proved popular with TV audiences in the US as it became the most-watched international game on record with more than 5.8 million viewers.

Ahead of the game, the NFL delivered a range of events and activities in partnership with the City of Munich to engage local communities. A school NFL Flag Football programme was introduced nationwide, while a national Flag Football tournament also took place in Munich.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady described the game at Allianz Arena as “one of the great football experiences” he has ever had. The Buccaneers won the game 21-16.

Alexander Steinforth, general manager of NFL Germany, said: “The Munich game was a significant moment for the NFL in Germany and one that will live in the minds of those in the stadium and those who watched the game from around the world for many years to come.

“The economic and social impact generated from our first regular-season game is impressive and underlines the positive contribution the game had on the City of Munich and beyond, and we look ahead to playing future games in the country in the coming years.”

Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice-president of club business, major events and international, added: “The results of the ‘2022 Munich Game Impact Assessment’ report confirm what a fantastic success the game was in Munich.

“We are grateful to the City of Munich, State of Bavaria, Bayern Munich, Allianz Arena and the participating NFL teams in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks for their partnership in delivering this historic game for the fans in the stadium and viewers around the world, and a legacy that will live well beyond.”

Germany will host two international fixtures during the 2023 season, with destination cities to be announced later this year. The NFL has previously confirmed that Munich and Frankfurt would alternate hosting games over the next four years but it remains to be seen how the two games will be split this year.

Germany will step in to host an extra game this year as Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca will be unavailable due to renovation work taking place ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The NFL hosted five pre-season games in Germany between 1990 and 1994 but November’s fixture at Allianz Arena marked the first regular-season game held in the country.