Buffalo Bills would ‘absolutely consider’ playing NFL games in Canada

Courtesy: Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo Bills’ chief operating officer Pete Guelli can envision the team playing an NFL game in Canada down the road with a likely location being Toronto.

“I wouldn’t rule it out. We want to really build this the right way and make sure we’re here inspiring that next generation of football fans,” Guelli said after the Future of Football partnership was announced at BMO Field on Tuesday. “We’ve got a new stadium to launch and we’ll probably play most of our games there in the short term at least, but long term, yeah we’d absolutely consider it.”

“I wouldn’t rule anything out. I was here for the first time we brought games here and, candidly, I thought we could have been a little bit more strategic. It was great to bring the games, but we want to take a more grassroots approach. Ths partnership with MLSE is a big part of it, they’re a massive sports property, they’re wired in up here. We thought that’s a more organic way to enter the market. In the future, sure. We have to get the stadium opened up and our focus is on Buffalo right now, but I wouldn’t rule that out.”

The Bills played in the only NFL regular-season games ever held in Canada from 2008 through 2013 — one each year at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Guelli estimated between 10 to 15 percent of his team’s season ticket base resides in Canada. However, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) president and CEO Keith Pelley stated playing games north of the border has not been discussed.

“Anything is possible. I think what Pete’s probably alluding to is the fact that the discussions that we’ve had and the way that this partnership has evolved has been incredibly positive for both sides. The way that the two sides have treated the conversations and the sessions that we’ve had have been rewarding and positive in some of the ideas that have come out of it. But hosting a Buffalo Bills game at this particular time has not been one of the discussion points,” Pelley said.

“We’ve been focusing on growing the game. We’ve been focusing on learning each other’s business. Growing the Buffalo Bills brand in Toronto, which is already strong, and for them, promoting and growing the Toronto Argonauts. I would say you’re getting ahead of yourself a little bit with anything outside of this partnership, but based on the way that we have discussed it, anything’s a possibility.”

Guelli added the Pegula family that owns the Bills has been “vested in Toronto for a long time.” Western New York’s NFL franchise sat down and talked strategically about the best way to approach the new Canadian partnership and came to the conclusion there are “very few properties as powerful and with as much scope as MLSE.”

The Bills believe the Greater Toronto Area comprises the second biggest media market in North America. The team wants to tap into the reach and influence MLSE has in Canada’s largest city, which could lead to an NFL game coming across the border down the line.

“Toronto is an important market, it’s a very strong market. It’s a huge media market. There’s a massive corporate base up here. There’s a lot of Bills fans right now,” Guelli said. “We’ve been able to build a lot of equity in the brand already but I really think we’ve just scratched the surface of what we can do.”