St. Louis Rams tagged for three trips to the U.K.

NEW YORK, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- The St. Louis Rams will be the home team for NFL Games in Great Britain the next three seasons, the league announced Friday.

The NFL has committed to playing at least one regular-season game in Britain for the next five seasons. There has been a game scheduled for London each of the last five seasons. The Chicago Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18 in the 2011 game.

St. Louis will play the New England Patriots Oct. 28 in London's Wembley Stadium. It will be the Patriots' second trip to England. They were 35-7 winners over Tampa Bay in 2009.

"We are excited about the opportunity to reach new audiences globally," Rams owner Stan Kroenke said in a statement through the NFL. "This is a great platform to showcase the city of St. Louis to London and the U.K."

Kroenke is also majority owner of British soccer team Arsenal, which plays home games in the Holloway district of London.

New England owner Robert Kraft said: "We are honored to be selected for this year's game and eager to return. We had such a great experience during our last visit to London.

"We are proud to have great support from our fans when we are on the road. The United Kingdom is home to some of our most passionate Patriots fans, including the UKPatriots, who are among our most active fan clubs overall, not just overseas. We look forward to another memorable experience."