The Greatest American Football Story That Has Never Been Told: How Gridiron Stopped the War

The compelling story of how American football was used to boost morale and inject camaraderie between the Allied forces in wartime London

In December 1943, as London faced a fifth Christmas of blackouts and no sign of World War Two ending, a chance encounter at an English pub between a Canadian and an American officer led to the staging of a football game: the Tea Bowl. A few weeks later, 30,000 Canadian and American troops, as well as some confused British spectators, were gifted respite from the devastation.

The game involved players who had paused their football careers back home to serve their country in foreign lands. The Canadians won, so a rematch was arranged in front of 50,000 at London’s White City Stadium. They called it the Coffee Bowl. A few ringers were even drafted from the NFL, including Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tommy Thompson.

With first-hand accounts and detailed reports of the games, this is the first time the fascinating tales of the Tea and Coffee Bowls have been shared in one place

Anthony Wootton is a sports journalist who has reported on the NFL since 2014, and has produced and presented multiple documentaries about US football for the BBC. Anthony is a member of the NFL Writers Network, connected with NFL UK, and has written NFL features for BBC Sport and Sky Sports. He has covered many NFL London games as well as the first NFL game in Germany and Super Bowl LVII.