Vikings Message Board.Com

I thought some of my fellow Vikes friends 'across the pond' might like to learn some of the proactive exposure being staged, to ensure this fantastic sport continues to thrive worldwide:

"The NFL is back on the road in the British Isles later this month, giving fans the chance to meet up with star players from the Minnesota Vikings and familiar faces from Sky Sports' NFL coverage.

NFLUK will be hosting a series of four Fan Nights on March 25-28, featuring Sky Sports analyst and leading coach Jeff Reinebold and four starters from the London -bound Vikings - Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph, Pro Bowl offensive tackle Matt Kalil, safety Harrison Smith and center John Sullivan. The evenings will be hosted by Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds.

Events all start at 7:30 p.m. and the tour schedule is as follows:

Monday March 25 - Dublin (Hogan Mezzanine, Croke Park, Jones's Road, Dublin 3)
Tuesday March 26 - Manchester (The Point, Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Talbot Road, Manchester M16 0PX)
Wednesday March 27 - Leeds (East Stand Long Room, Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground, Leeds, LS6 3BU)
Thursday March 28 - London (Wembley Stadium, HA9 0WS)"

I myself have applied and I'm hopeful for acceptance to attend the London event. As a hardcore Vike and fan committee member, I think I'd gain a lot from the experience. Additionally, I have idolised both Kalil and the hard hitting Harrison Smith ever since they entered the league. Two fantastic draft acquisitions, followed their rookie seasons intently, what a class! It would be an honour to meet players of such a high calibre.

If I am successfull in my application, I will be sure to post photos and relay feedback.

That sounds great! I hope your application to attend is accepted. I wish I could attend.

I definitely would like to see the photos and hear about it. If for no other reason, I'd like to know how many fans the NFL has in the UK.

Mothman wrote:That sounds great! I hope your application to attend is accepted. I wish I could attend.

Thanks for the support and I'm glad the event appeals to such extent. I'm surprised by the quality of player we've been able to attract, for example, in promoting last season's Pats @ Rams encounter, a couple of little known (to the majority of casual British fans) tackles were deployed. Sully's a hell of a character, enjoy listening to his thoroughly intelligent remarks on KFAN. It would be an absolute treat to quiz him. It would be awesome to see you there too, the brilliantly informed and devoted fans that this forum consists of all deserve to attend such an evening.

As for the UK's football fan base, it's rapidly growing, especially with the introduction of our very own International Series a few years back. I'm hoping that with the aforementioned event, along with support programming on the Vikings, our fan numbers increase in time for October's game at Wembley. Possibly a little biased I'll certainly be doing my utmost to combat those 'Terrible Towels'.

I just wanted to share the following reply I received earlier from NFLUK, with regards to next week's 'Meet the Vikings' Roadshow at Wembley Stadium, London:

"Congratulations! You have been successful in applying to attend the NFL Fan Evening in London (The Great Hall, Wembley Stadium, HA9 0WS) on Thursday, March 28th. Please enter the stadium via the Club Wembley entrance.

You and a guest are invited to the event, where your name will be on the guest-list. The event will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m and end at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Please be aware that seating is unreserved, so please arrive in good time. Wear your team jerseys so that the evening is as colourful as possible and come prepared with some questions of your own as we'll try to get through as many as possible during the evening.

Please only reply to this email if you are NOT able to attend so that we can reallocate your place to another fan.

Thank you for your support of the NFL and we look forward to seeing you on the night"

I am genuinely elated to have been granted such a rare opportunity to meet players that I genuinely idolise. Hopefully this goes to illustrate the fantastic work being carried out internationally, in both growing the sport and promoting our October encounter with the Steelers. It probably aided my cause that I am both a Fan Committee member, as you well know and a die hard Vikes fan.

I will be sure to share photos from the event and hopefully obtain a few cheeky autographs for my personal collection in the process.

In attending, I will be given the opportunity to quiz the four Vikes so if anyone would like to pitch question ideas, I'm more than happy to listen and attempt to ask next week.

ViciousBritishVike wrote:I will be sure to share photos from the event and hopefully obtain a few cheeky autographs for my personal collection in the process.

In attending, I will be given the opportunity to quiz the four Vikes so if anyone would like to pitch question ideas, I'm more than happy to listen and attempt to ask next week.

Cool! I'm glad you'll get to attend. Congratulations!

If I can think of a good question, I'll be sure to pass it along.

Mothman wrote: Cool! I'm glad you'll get to attend. Congratulations!

If I can think of a good question, I'll be sure to pass it along.

Thanks, genuinely ranks highly on my list of memorable occasions, I'm sure the same will be said after next season

Great, looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Having attended the aforementioned roadshow last night, I just wanted to share my sentiments, stressing what a truly brilliant evening we were treated to. Not only was the event headlined by three world class athletes, these very guys were also humble, humorous and engaging. Their willingness to share insight and effort in signing everything in their paths was a true testament to the mentality instilled by our fantastic organisation. Hearing of Harrison Smith's admission that he often keeps trash talk to a minimum, whilst siting back and witnessing Jamarca's verbal onslaught is hilarious, was wonderful to hear. I wasn't aware that this was a possibility but after such a hands on experience, my love for the Vikes has increased even more so.

The whole evening was a brilliant initiative from NFLUK and should hopefully ensure that the game continues to thrive over our side of the pond.

I even managed to hand my additional ticket to a friend, converting him into a Vike too and he actually captured both some photos/video from the occasion. One instance involving Harrison Smith demonstrating the form tackle was pure brilliance, although sentiment crept in, it's a wonder the kid from the crowd wasn't snapped in half, I was seriously concerned at one point You can't alter instinct!

Appearing on the official Vikings site, whilst also managing to meet all three players and having a photograph with my idol Harrison Smith genuinely meant the world, unforgettable time.

Please feel free to have a look:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 890&type=1

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... PC7kSHfqpt