The NFL announced a new International Home Market Areas (IHMA) initiative, where the Chicago Bears have been awarded Spain and the United Kingdom for international markets, where they’ll be allowed to engage with fans and sell sponsorship rights.
The Bears will be permitted to engage with fans and sell sponsorship rights both in Spain and the U.K. Chicago is one of two teams awarded Spain and one of six teams awarded the U.K.
Here’s an excerpt from the release that details what the IHMA program entails:
Under the leadership of the International Committee, the NFL announced today that 18 teams have been granted access to 26 International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) across eight different countries. This ground-breaking, new initiative grants clubs access to international territories for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of an important, longterm, strategic effort to enable clubs to build their global brands while driving NFL fan growth internationally.
“Being awarded the Spain and United Kingdom International Home Marketing Areas by the league is an honor,” said Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey. “We’re passionate about growing the game of football abroad and continuing to develop the robust Chicago Bears fanbase internationally.”
The U.K. makes a ton of sense for the Bears, as they have a massive following across the pond. The Bears have played three international games in London dating back to 1986, when they beat the Dallas Cowboys 17-6 in a preseason game at Wembley Stadium.
Chicago has played in London twice since then — back in 2011, when they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18 at Wembley Stadium, and most recently in 2019, losing to the Las Vegas Raiders 24-21 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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