Mayor Lenny Curry said Tuesday he is unsure whether he will travel to London to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars play Sunday.
“I’m on a day-by-day basis on that,” he said Tuesday. “My focus has been recovery and primarily power restoration.”
Curry said he will decide later this week whether to join the Jacksonville delegation, which is spending the week in the United Kingdom ahead of the annual game.
Curry said he wanted to make sure the city was OK before committing to the trip a week after Jacksonville felt the impact of Hurricane Irma.
For the fifth year, the Jaguars are hosting a “home” game at Wembley Stadium in London.
In October 2015, the team announced it would continue the commitment through the 2020 NFL season with an option to extend the agreement another five years.
Each year, members of Jacksonville’s government and business communities, led by the JAXUSA Partnership and JAX Chamber, spend most of the week before the game meeting with companies and trade organizations in the hope of recruiting them to expand or relocate their operations to Northeast Florida.
“Since we began our commitment to the NFL International Series in 2012, the profile of the team and our city has grown considerably. Fortunately, that increased exposure has translated to job growth here in Northeast Florida,” said a statement by Jaguars President Mark Lamping.
Lamping said the team will continue to support the chamber and Curry “in their economic development efforts in any way we can as what is good for Jacksonville is also good for the Jaguars.”
The delegation includes Curry; City Council President Anna Lopez Brosche; Senior Director of JAXUSA’s International Department Mike Breen; Jacksonville University President Tim Cost; JAX Chamber CEO Daniel Davis; JAXUSA President Jerry Mallot; president and CEO of the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast Eric Mann; JaxPort Director of Latin American Sales Ricardo Schiappacasse; JAX Chamber Board Chair Darnell Smith; and city Office of Economic Development Executive Director Kirk Wendland.
The group left Jacksonville on Monday night and arrived in London on Tuesday.
According to a draft schedule provided by JAXUSA Partnership, on Wednesday and Thursday the group will meet with unidentified companies from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. along with lunch and evening receptions.
They’ll also meet with the United Kingdom Department of International Trade both days.
Friday’s schedule includes additional meetings with unidentified companies, a U.S. Embassy luncheon and a “Jaguars event” at 8 p.m.
Saturday, the delegation will watch Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan’s professional soccer team, Fulham Football Club, play a match at its Craven Cottage facility followed by a JAX Chamber reception at Grosvenor House.
The last item on the agenda is the Jaguars game versus the Baltimore Ravens at 2:30 p.m. at Wembley Stadium. The game will air locally at 9:30 a.m. on CBS and streamed online by Yahoo!
The Jaguars are 2-2 when playing in London since the 2013 season.