An NFL Fan’s Travel Guide to London

NFL UK fans representing the Raider Nation in the streets of London in  2014.

National Football League

When American football teams play in London, the games are usually held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Here is a complete football fan’s London travel guide for visiting NFL fans..

The Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a key element of the Northumberland Development Project, a mixed-use development project that also includes housing, shopping,  a hotel, educational institutions, a community health centre, public spaces, and other facilities.

With a capacity of 62,062 football fans, the  stadium serves as the home ground of of Tottenham Hotspur of Premier League Football.

There is a Spurs museum and club shop, club administration facilities, and an extreme sports facility.

The new stadium also servea as a venue for at least two of the National Football League’s NFL London Games each season.

The NFL is a major investor in the project, having  invested £10 million (US$12.8 million) in Tottenham’s new stadium, just over 1% of the budget.

Tottenham is a district in North London. It is located 8.2 miles (13.2 kilometers) north-north-east of Charing Cross in Central London.

How to Get to Tottenham Stadium

The stadium is a four-minute walk from the White Hart Lane mainline station. Regular services connect to the Victoria Line tube service via Seven Sisters.

The stadium is an eight-minute walk to the Northumberland Park mainline station.

There is regular a service connecting to the Victoria line tube service at the Tottenham Hale station.

Trains run from both White Hart Lane and Northumberland Park stations to Liverpool Street Station, and direct trains take about 20 minutes.

There are a number of excellent bus services from Seven Sisters running past the stadium entrance.

For more detailed London transit information …

If you are traveling from inside London, visit …

• Journey Planner 

If you are traveling from outside London, visit …

• National Railway

If you would rather grab a cab, there is a taxi rank at Tottenham Hale Station.

Top 10 Things to Do in London

It would be a shame to fly all the way to Britain without taking in some of the top London attractions.

Here is a short list of what to do London. Click on links for more information.

1. Buckingham Palace – the Queen’s official residence and a functioning palace.
2. Big Ben – the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. Currently under renovation.
3. Tower of London – built as a royal residence and a prison a thousand years ago, the Tower of London is home of the Crown Jewels.
4. Westminster Abbey – one of the world’s great churches with a history stretching back over one thousand years.
5. Kew Gardens – home millions of exotic and rare plants , Kew Gardens is a green oasis in the Capital of Cool.
6. St. Paul’s Cathedral – with a history dating back 1,200 years, St. Paul’s Cathedral is the site of royal weddings and state funerals.
7. National Gallery – one of the greatest repositories of European art.
8. Hyde Park – a green oasis in the heart of London.
9. London Eye – a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London.
10. Stonehenge – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Stonehenge is situated about 90 miles, or 145 kilometres west of Central London. It dates back at least 3,000 years.

 

RECOMMENDED: TOWER OF LONDON AFTER HOURS>>

What to Eat in London (and How to Eat It)

As one of the world’s great cities, London has some fabulous restaurants.

From French to Italian to Chinese to Mexican, you will be spoiled for choice when eating out in London.

There’s even no shortage of American fare should your taste buds start feeling homesick.

But while in the British Isles, you really should try some traditional British favourites.

Here are 10 traditional English dishes that you shouldn’t miss while visiting the Capital of Cool.

• Fry Ups – start the day with a fry-up, a traditional English breakfast, which consists of  fried or grilled bacon, a sausage or two, a fried egg, baked beans (canned beans in a tomato sauce), grilled or fried tomatoes, a slice of fried bread (or toast), perhaps some slices of fried black pudding (sausage made from pig’s blood), and fried mushrooms – eaten in any combination, with a dollop of either brown sauce or tomato ketchup on the side
• Fish and Chips – cod, haddock, or plaice, which has been dipped in batter and deep fried. The chips are what Americans call French fries, except they tend to be substantially thicker.  Eat with salt and malt vinegar or some curry sauce or (my personal favourite) HP Sauce. Mushy peas are one of the favoured side dishes.
• Steak and Kidney Pie – meat pies are hugely popular in the British Isles, and one of the most popular is Steak an Kidney Pie, which consists of steak and kidney made with salted  beef broth thickened with flour or cornstarch. Consume with ale or stout.
• Shepherd’s Pie – if you can’t stomach the thought of eating kidney, Shepherd’s Pie is a good substitute. It’s made with beef or lamb meat with a mashed potato crust. YUM!!!!
• Bubble and Squeak – Leftover potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and Brussels sprouts are formed into  little cakes and fried in a hot pan. The name comes from the sound they make when they’re being cooked.
• Bangers and Mash – pork sausage accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes
• Beef Wellington  – the finest beef fillet smothered in pate and clad in a light puff pastry.
• Sunday Roast – severed between 12 noon and 5 pm on Sunday afternoon, a Sunday Roast can consist of roast turkey, beef, pork, chicken, or lamb. Consume it with Yorkshire Pudding, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and gravy.
• Curry – if Britain has a national cuisine, it would have to be Indian food. The Brits like curries so much, they even dip chips (French fries) in them But don’t stop there. Also check out tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, and other mouth-watering Indian dishes.
• Puddings – not what you think they are, puddings are what Americans call desserts. Also referred to as sweets or afters, they can be apple crumble, bread and butter pudding, sticky toffee pudding, spotted dick, trifle – the list goes on.

 

When ordering food at a traditional English eatery, the waitress might ask you if you want red sauce or brown sauce. Red sauce refers to ketchup. Brown sauce refers to steak sauce.

Language Differences

George Bernard Shaw once said that the United States and Great Britain were two countries separated by a common language.

While Brits and Americans can generally understand each other, there are a few words that can cause confusion, and one of those words is “football”.

Football in Britain refers to what Americans call soccer. So if you are speaking of football as in what the Oakland Raiders play, play it safe by referring to it as American football.

Most Americans know that the Brits call elevators lifts. They also know that they call bars pubs. Here are a few other examples …

• vacation >> holiday
• sidewalk >> pavement or footway
• line >> queue (pronounced Q)
• elevator >> lift
• dessert >> pudding
• French fries >> chips
• cookies >> biscuits
• candy >> sweets
• wharf >> quay (pronounced key)
• truck >> lorry
• subway >> underground
• downtown >> central business district
• umbrella >> brolly
• hood – bonnet
• trunk – boot

 

Keep in mind that floors in Britain are numbered differently than in the United States.

The first floor is referred to as the ground floor. The second floor is referred to as the first floor. The third floor is referred to as the second floor, and so forth.

How to Dress in London

The weather in London can be highly changeable so make sure to dress in layers.

A  light to medium weight jacket that is waterproof is recommended. And don’t forget to pack an  umbrella, known locally as a brolly.

London Airports

Metropolitan London has six international airports. If you are flying to London from the United States, chances are that you will be arriving via either Heathrow or Gatwick, the city’s two largest airports.

Heathrow is about 27 miles from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by car. Gatwick is about 37 miles from the stadium by car.

If you are flying in from another part of the United Kingdom or from Europe, however, you might be flying in by way of one of the other four airports.

Here is a quick overview of London’s six airports …

• Heathrow (LHR) – this is London’s largest and busiest airport and the world’s third busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers.
• Gatwick (LGW) – this is London’s second busiest airport.
• Stansted (STN) – London’s third busiest airport, Stansted is a hub for Ryanair, with most flights operating to and from Europe. It is the closest airport to the stadium with direct access by train to Tottenham Hale station, which is a short walk to the station.
• Luton (LTN) – London’s fourth-busiest airport, Luton is used mostly by budget airlines.
• City (LCY) – London’s smallest airport, City Airport is the closest airport to central London. Because of its short runway, the airport cannot handle large aircraft. Most of its travel destinations are domestic and in Northern Europe.

 

Entry Requirements

U.S. citizens do not need a visa to visit the United Kingdom for tourism or business, and they can remain in the U.K. for up to six months.

U.S. citizens do, however, need a valid passport to visit the U.K. The passport must be valid beyond their intended stay.

They might be asked to show tickets or documents for return or onward travel when they pass through passport control.

Vaccinations are not required.

American football has been growing in popularity in Britain in recent years, and the Oakland Raiders are one of the UK’s favourite teams.