WATFORD, England — The Vikings 23-17 win over the Jets Sunday is officially the 37th NFL game of the London Series.
Minnesota improved to 4-0 with two wins as the "visitor" and two as the "host." The sights and sounds from an electric atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium reinforce the way the passion for the sport has grown at one of London's truly great stages.
There's a groundswell in popularity of the sport across the United Kingdom thanks to increased opportunities at the grass roots level.
Students from Brookside Primary School, Jerounds Primary School, Featherstone Primary School and Trafalgar Junior School were treated to participate in an NFL Flag clinic on the practice field at The Grove last Friday, a little before the young people welcomed the current Vikings to the pitch by forming an entry tunnel.
View photos of the Vikings hosting a youth UK Flag Football event in London with Vikings Legends Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Jared Allen.
Vikings Legends Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Jared Allen spoke with the youth, fielding multiple questions before supporting them in various drills.
"Take advantage of the moment you're in; take advantage of this opportunity," Carter told the diverse group of boys and girls. "There's fans around the world today, and a lot of them don't have the freedom to play, to intermix, no matter what the gender is, what their religion or ethnicity is."
Carter explained his biggest inspiration was his mom because, after having seven children, she returned to complete educational degrees at undergraduate and master's levels.
"She's my hero," he said. "I never had to look outside my home for anything."
Allen pointed to his grandfather, who served 23 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, as one of his biggest inspirations. He implored, "If you want something, work for it."
"Every day, be the best version of yourself that shows up to do whatever you want to do," Allen said. "Do that with a smile on your face and love in your heart. And bring good energy to other people. No matter what you do, make sure you bring the right type of attitude because that's what will carry you through life."
The students rotated through a series of offensive and defensive drills, throwing and catching footballs, pulling flags from belts and zipping through agility drills.
The clinic was one of a series of events the Vikings have supported to increase youth participation in flag football, which also included hosting an eight-team co-ed tournament in Newcastle upon Tyne, a city of more than 300,000 in Northern England not far from Scotland.
Reed and Vikings youth football staff members visited Newcastle for the tournament. Corbridge Middle School fielded two teams that met in the semifinal round. The champion squad from Corbridge was hosted by the Vikings and recognized on the video board during Sunday's game.
Chris Long, who leads game development for NFL UK, said the week of activities were incredibly rewarding and helpful in continuing to spread the growth of American football in the U.K. He noted the synergy between Northern England, home of the Newcastle Vikings of the British American Football Association, and the Northern United States.
"That's really important to us as we look to cover the entire United Kingdom and grow the game," Long said. "We've doubled participation in flag football in the last 12 months."
