Cheer we go! Tampa Bay beauties drum up support for NFL Wembley showpiece with visit to Houses of Parliament

UK Daily Mail
10/20/2011

Did someone say American Football? No, we didn’t hear them either because we were too busy paying attention to Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders who today toured London ahead of some match or other at Wembley this weekend.

Of course, we know the Bucs are in town to play Chicago Bears but frankly it’s the half-time entertainment that is the most interesting.

The ladies have already been practising at another London venue, admittedly not quite as sparkling as Wembley, when they performed during the interval at Selhurst Park during Crystal Palace’s game with Bristol City.

The players, or ‘man mountains’ as they are affectionately known, have already enjoyed their whistle stop tour of the capital, embarking on a sightseeing tour to the likes of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Horse Guards Parade and 10 Downing Street.

In preparation for the big game, they have been training at the facility most recently used by the England rugby team before their ill-fated World Cup campaign in New Zealand.

Tampa will hope to enjoy more fortune than Martin Johnson’s men… and with these woman cheering them on, rather than a collection of dwarfs who don’t mind being tossed about a bar, one expects they will excel.

The Buccaneers are the first team to feature in the international series in London for a second time, having lost 35-7 to the New England Patriots in 2009.

The NFL showpiece is staged in a bid to raise the profile of American Football in this country, although the sport’s senior officials claim to already having 11 million followers across the pond.