American Football: NFL looks to Stratford

The St Louis Rams players make their entrance at Wembley on Sunday (Getty Images)

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has held "encouraging" talks with the National Football League over the prospect of staging games at the Olympic Stadium.

The NFL has staged annual games in London since 2007, and on Sunday the New England Patriots beat the St Louis Rams in front of a sold-out Wembley, with Johnson in the crowd. Next year, Wembley will host two NFL games and the north London stadium has an exclusive deal to host the International Series games until 2016. But Johnson wants to see if there is a role for the Olympic Stadium.

A spokesman for the Mayor said: "Given the ever-growing popularity of gridiron on this side of the Atlantic, the Mayor and his team have held meetings with senior executives in the last few days to explore further opportunities involving the NFL and London."

One prospect often discussed is whether London could be the base for a new NFL franchise.