Wembley stages inaugural Union Jack Classic as Kansas and Arizona State play in London
Kansas Jayhawks and Arizona State Sun Devils met at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday for the inaugural Union Jack Classic, the first American college football game hosted at Wembley.
Fans had gathered in the city before game day, with a pre-game party in Waterloo on Friday where Kansas supporters chanted "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" and ASU fans replied with "ASU, ASU". UJC organisers built a college-style game day atmosphere around tailgate parties; the main tailgate opened at 10am, seven hours before kick-off, and featured Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne. Arizona State alumni held their own event of nearly 2,000 people, and ASU's marching band and cheerleaders performed on stage, while Fox Sports operated an outdoor studio on Wembley Way where the Kansas and ASU bands battled on Wembley Way and on the pitch before kick-off.
Support for college teams was presented as familial and deeply rooted, with Kansas fan Hannah saying, "You feel a loyalty to your lineage," and adding that college football fans are not just fanatical but "rabid". BBC Sport spoke to multi-generational families and alumni who travel long distances to follow their schools; current ASU student Sophie said her family "bleeds maroon and gold", and her friend Amelia had ASU merchandise throughout her home and a maroon car.
Around 15,000 supporters travelled from the United States for the game — about 9,000 for ASU and 6,000 for Kansas — and tickets were purchased by fans from 35 countries. Neutrals attended in NFL and college jerseys from programmes such as Oklahoma, Miami and Texas, and some fans wore British university shirts; more than 100 UK universities have American football teams. UJC organisers targeted those players and formed partnerships with the British American Football Association, British Universities and Colleges Sport and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the UJC has helped to train more than 1,050 British coaches and referees this year. Cambridge University player Alex said it had been "cool" to learn the stories of Kansas and ASU and he would probably go to more college games in future "if they're teams we can rally behind".
On the field, Kansas' Tate Nagy opened the scoring with a 72-yard punt return touchdown, and Jaren Hamilton produced a 100-yard kick-off return at the start of the second half that put ASU up 17-7. Arizona State claimed a 24-17 victory that the report said flattered Kansas. Entertainment included music acts throughout the game and a light show in the third quarter; the event featured fewer band members and cheerleaders than typical US college games, and the crowd was described as quieter than at ASU home games, which averaged 54,000 last season.
Organisers had planned for 60,000 attendees but Wembley recorded 46,523 for the event, with some ticket-holders moved to the bottom tier to keep the top tier empty. Both teams travelled with 105 players each, and organisers said 90% of those student-athletes did not have a passport before the trip. Many fans and members of coaches' families were visiting London for the first time; ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said they had "an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives", and Kansas head coach Lance Leipold described the hospitality as outstanding while saying the hotel and practice facility "was a win".
Big 12 Conference commissioner Brett Yormark said: "It exceeded my expectations, from the crowd to the logistics to how the local community has embraced us. It's been fantastic, so we want more." UJC organisers have signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Wembley, and Yormark said other Big 12 colleges are interested in playing in London. He noted Big 12 teams also played two games in Dublin over the past 13 months and that the conference could expand to another international market, adding: "There's not a two-week period where I don't get a call to say 'take some of your product to this country or that country', so we're exploring that right now."
Yormark said there will be an announcement about next year's London game "within the next month or two".