NFL opts to close European league

The NFL's European development league is to close with immediate effect, after the end of its 15th season.

The league began in 1991 as the World League, with the London Monarchs champions in the inaugural season.

The announcement comes just four months before the NFL holds its first regular season game in Europe, between New York and Miami at Wembley on 28 October.

After the demise of the Monarchs (1998) and the Scottish Claymores (2004), the league has been without a British side.

From now on we will focus on regular season games and use new technologies to make NFL more popular worldwide Roger Goodell NFL commissioner

During the 2007 season, five of its six teams were based in Germany, with the Amsterdam Admirals completing the field.

Friday's decision came less than a week after Hamburg Sea Devils beat Frankfurt Galaxy 37-28 in World Bowl XV.

The league set new attendance records in 2007 with an average of more than 20,000 fans per game.

But, according to German media reports, the league, which is supported financially by its parent league in the USA, is losing 40 million euros (£26.9m) a year.

A statement on the German-language edition of the NFL website said the parent league had 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.

606 COMMENT The decision to wind up the league makes perfect business sense but it was hard not to be misty-eyed for a moment BBC Sport's Martin Gough 606: Have your say

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the move was the "best business decision", adding: "We thank our fans for the great support in the past years."

"From now on we will focus on regular season games and use new technologies to make NFL more popular worldwide."

The league began in 1991 with 10 teams from the United States and Europe.

After closing down for two seasons in 1993 and 1994, it 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 Super Bowl stars Kurt Warner of the St Louis and kicker Adam Vinatieri of the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.