FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)  The NFL folded its development league in Europe after 16 years on Friday, calling the decision a sound business move that will allow for a stronger international focus on regular-season games outside the United States. The announcement came less than a week after the Hamburg Sea Devils beat the Frankfurt Galaxy 37-28 in the World Bowl championship in Frankfurt before a crowd of 48,125. Five of the league's six teams are in Germany, with the other in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A statement on the German-language edition of the NFL's website said the NFL decided to concentrate its "strategies and resources" on regular-season games outside the United States in an effort to reach as many people as possible. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell thanked the fans for their support but said it was time to develop a new international strategy, terming the move to fold NFL Europa the "best business decision." The league reportedly was losing about $30 million a season. "From now on we will focus on regular-season games and use new technologies to make NFL more popular worldwide," he said. NFL team owners decided in October to play up to two regular-season games outside the United States. The first such game is Oct. 28 in London between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants. The league said it is looking toward other regular-season games in Germany, Mexico and Canada, with Germany a strong candidate for 2008. "NFL Europa has created thousands of passionate fans who have supported that league and our sport for many years," said Mark Waller, senior vice president of NFL International. "And we look forward to building on this foundation as we begin this new phase of our international development." The league began in 1991 as the World League of American Football, with 10 teams from the United States and Europe, spreading from Scotland to Spain. After closing for two seasons in 1993 and 1994, the league returned with six European teams and retained the same format until the end. The league was used by NFL teams to test young talent and produced players such as quarterback Kurt Warner, who led the St. Louis Rams to the 2000 Super Bowl championship and won two NFL Most Valuable Player awards; Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme; and star Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri. NFL Europa managing director Uwe Bergheim said the league had succeeded in establishing a fan base for football in important European markets. "Despite the great support of fans, business partners and the cities where we were active, we decided that it was time to change the strategy," Bergheim said. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.
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The NFL has announced that its "farmer-league" NFL Europa has been discontinued after 15 seasons. Instead, the NFL will change "the focus of its international business strategy to presenting the NFL to the widest possible global audience, including broader media visibility and the staging of international regular-season games." "The time is right to re-focus the NFL's strategy on initiatives with global impact, including worldwide media coverage of our sport and the staging of live regular-season NFL games,'" said Mark Waller, senior vice president of NFL International, to NFL.com

The NFL is focusing on the international market now. In October, the owners passed a resolution to set up to two regular-season games in international stadiums per year. The first of these games will be played at Wembley Stadium in London on October 28 when the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants meet.

In 2006, NFL Europa changed its name from NFL Europe to NFL Europa to focus more on the German and Dutch markets. When NFL Europa shut down, it had six teams based in Holland and Germany. The Hamburg Sea Devils won the last World Bowl (number 15) last Saturday. Two of the players that were developed in NFL Europa were Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner and Indianapolis Colts K Adam Vinatieri.