New York Jets Takeover London

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The New York Jets executed a groundbreaking, multi‑week international takeover of London built around the 2025 NFL London Game, uniting culture, fashion, music, grassroots development, and game‑day tradition. Through record-setting fan engagement, the Jets delivered the most comprehensive international activation in franchise history.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

The Jets London Takeover sets a new global benchmark for fan engagement by demonstrating how an NFL team can authentically embed itself within an international culture while elevating the gameday experience beyond traditional sports marketing models.

What makes this campaign exceptional is its seamless fusion of sport, culture, and community. The Jets didn’t simply promote an international game—they transformed London into an extension of New York. From the Trapstar collaboration to UK influencer integrations and a citywide series of activations, the team engaged fans where they already live culturally.

At Tottenham, the Jets delivered an unprecedented recreation of MetLife Stadium abroad: pyrotechnics, player intros, TIFO unfurling, and a stadium-wide chant experience—innovations rarely seen in NFL international play and inspired by European football culture.

The campaign also elevated global fan development by investing directly in the UK football community. The Jets highlighted girls flag football through the champion Ealing Fields Ring Ceremony and integrated youth focused programming throughout the week, reinforcing that their London presence supports long term participation and pathways in the sport.

This campaign demonstrates the future of global fan engagement: immersive, culturally fluent, multi-platform, and community-first, positioning the Jets as a leader in international sports innovation.

Objective

The New York Jets approached their 2025 London Takeover with a singular mission: to deliver the most immersive and culturally resonant international campaign in franchise history. As the Jets served as the designated international home team for the first time, the organization set out to transform London into an extension of New York by embedding Jets identity into the city’s culture, fan experiences, and media landscape. Central to this effort was expanding the club’s global footprint through the NFL Global Markets Program while elevating brand visibility and relevance among UK audiences.

Throughout a weeklong campaign, the Jets worked to “paint London green” through curated activations, including exclusive fashion collaborations, citywide takeovers, and fan experiences such as the Touchdown Tailgate and Jets Pub residency. Each activation blended American football tradition with authentic UK cultural touchpoints.

A key objective was to recreate the full MetLife Stadium experience abroad. Through J‑E‑T‑S chant education, stadium‑wide branding, in‑game entertainment, and the coordinated deployment of a Jets TIFO and J‑E‑T‑S flags at every seat, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was intentionally transformed to feel unmistakably like home. The campaign also emphasized long‑term community growth by spotlighting girls flag football and international player development.

Strategy & Execution

The Jets built the London Takeover strategy around one core principle: modern fans crave cultural immersion. To meet this demand, the team executed a multi‑layered approach that blended experiential activations, fashion, music, community initiatives, and digital‑first storytelling.

Cultural relevance was elevated through three UK‑exclusive merchandise drops with Nike, New Era, Starter, and Mitchell & Ness, along with the Jets first‑ever UK collaboration with Trapstar London – positioning the team as a lifestyle brand within London’s fashion ecosystem.

Hyper‑local fan experiences further embedded the Jets into the city, including the It’s Bagels Soho takeover, the Greenwood Jets Pub residency, and weeklong meetups such as double‑decker sightseeing with Jets players—creating daily touchpoints for fans and media.

Digitally, the team prioritized UK-specific content across @NYJetsinUKandIE, leveraging influencers, behind-the-scenes storytelling with players in market, and real-time gameday coverage to grow its international audience.

The campaign culminated in a full gameday recreation at Tottenham, featuring a tailgate zone with a Jets NYC apple and London phonebooth, NYC-style street performers, alumni appearances, custom pyrotechnics, video board integrations, chant prompts, a European-style TIFO, and the first-ever stadium giveaway at the NFL London Games. The result fused American tradition with UK culture in a cross‑cultural experience.

Organizations

• Agencies: Sportfive

• 160/90
• Hanover
• On Board Experiential

  Venues: Its Bagels

• Vinegar Yard
• Greenwood Sports Pub

  Merch Collabs: Trapstar

• Starter
• Mitchell & Ness 

Links

•   Website

Credits

Diana Berkovits
Director, Strategy & International
New York Jets

Katie Lafemina
Manager, International
New York Jets

Chris Pierce
Vice President, Fan Commerce
New York Jets

Jessica Ciccone
Vice President, Brand & Influencer Marketing
New York Jets

John MacCarter
Senior Vice President, Finance, Strategy & Analytics
New York Jets

Jesse Linder
Vice President, Community Relations
New York Jets

Eli Hodges
Director, Community Relations & Youth Football
New York Jets

Brian Mulligan
Vice President, Event and Game Operations
New York Jets

Jack Holmgren
Senior Director, Fan Engagement & Game Presentation
New York Jets

Olivia Sherman
Manager, Fan Engagement & Game Presentation
New York Jets

Jeff Fernandez
Senior Vice President, Business Development & Ventures
New York Jets

Eric Gelfand
Executive Vice President, Chief Brand & Communications Officer
New York Jets

Meghan Gilmore
Senior Director, Communications
New York Jets

Jose Rey
Senior Director, Creative
New York Jets

Dan Szpakowski
Vice President, Content Strategy & Production
New York Jets