Super Bowl LX
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Growth of American Football in UK highlighted by BSU Bulldogs
Friday, 6 February, 2026One of the biggest sporting events of the year is back for its 60th edition, with Super Bowl LX. The National Football Conference champions Seattle Seahawks are taking on the American Football Conference champions New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in a rematch from Super Bowl XLIX.
The popularity of American football in the UK has grown significantly since the first competitive NFL game came to London in 2007. Since then, the NFL has further expanded its international coverage across the globe, including three sold-out games played in London in 2025, with a further three to be played in 2026. Games were traditionally played at Wembley Stadium, but are now split between Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was specifically designed to host NFL games.
The year 2007 coincides with when Bath Spa University’s American football team, the BSU Bulldogs, was founded. The Bulldogs compete in the British Universities American Football League Division 2, against some of the top university teams in the country. The Bulldogs are continuously growing, with a 25-player squad, who regularly travel up and down the country representing BSU.
Whilst American football is mostly known as a contact sport, the Bulldogs also participate in flag football and play in an annual flag football tournament. Flag football, the non-contact form of American football, is also a fast-growing sport, and is set to be a new event at the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where Team GB have been tipped to compete for a medal.
President of the Student’s Union and captain of the BSU Bulldogs, Joe Wilson, said of the growth of the sport:
“In my 4 years with the team I've seen the sport grow drastically and overall interest skyrocket, we have more people joining the team with past experience at U19 teams and it’s great to see.”
Speaking on the rise of flag football, Joe said:
“With flag football becoming ever more popular with it entering the Olympics, I'm sure the Bulldogs use of flag will grow and have us enter more tournaments up and down the country.”
When asked for his Super Bowl predictions, Joe said:
‘I'm a Seahawks fan so, Go Hawks!'
Super Bowl LX is set to be an exciting matchup, and the world will be watching to see who comes out on top as the 2026 Super Bowl champions.
If you are interested in joining an American football team at BSU, contact the BSU Bulldogs via the Student’s Union website.