Destination London: How the Panthers are preparing for their first international game

[Sir Purr]

LONDON – With the Panthers’ first ever international game comes a lot of excitement and anticipation.


It also comes with a lot of logistical challenges.


Carolina is one of the last teams to play a game in London (Green Bay will soon be the lone holdout), so at this point, the NFL is thoroughly prepared to coordinate these operations.


Still, it’s the first time for the Panthers, and that makes it both special and daunting.


Moving an NFL team overseas is no small task, and there is a lot of work to be done in advance to ensure everything goes smoothly.


To that end, a contingent from the Panthers traveled this week to London to gather information for when the team makes the journey to face the Buccaneers at Tottenham Stadium in Week 6 of the 2019 season.


The contingent on the football side of the organization included the following departments: football operations, equipment, athletic training, security and information technology. Like any road trip, their goal is put the team in the best possible position to succeed.


Bottom line: The most important part of this trip is heading home with a victory in Week 6.


It all starts with the team’s arrival into Heathrow Airport. An airport representative explained the efficient procedure that will unfold after the players and staff exit the aircraft and cargo is removed. If all goes according to plan, buses are estimated to roll out no more than an hour after the team lands.


With all questions answered at the airport, the bulk of this advance trip – hosted by NFL UK – is consumed by site visits to potential hotels and practice fields. There was a wide range of both – some with experience hosting NFL teams and others possibly doing so for the first time.


It’s important to note that the Buccaneers, as the home team, get first choice.


Some hotels were large and luxurious with skyline views. Others were isolated and small enough to be entirely taken over by a team. Each management group made their pitch for why they’d be best suited to host the Panthers.


Everything from number and size of the beds (they’re typically smaller in Europe) to the number of blenders available to make smoothies is reviewed. A hugely important consideration is the meeting space that’s available or unavailable. That varied from property to property.