Global financial crisis hits NFL game between New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers

It may be an extravagant showpiece, staging an American football 'home' game for the New Orleans Saints at Wembley – six time zones away – but not even the moneyed National Football League has been immune from the global financial crisis. The NFL confirmed that they had cut the number of US-based staffers travelling to the Wembley match.

"The environment affects everybody," said Mark Waller, the NFL's senior vice-president in charge of international expansion. "There's no industry or sport that's immune from it." The scaling-down from last year's inaugural NFL match in the UK, between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins, was seen in the 10 per cent reduction of executives coming to the game, to 45.

But Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, gave no suggestion that the NFL was abandoning their commitment to the British market, confirming that talks were progressing to extend the league's regular season from 16 games to 18. If this goes ahead it could mean that more of the additional games would be staged in the UK, estimated to be the sport's second most lucrative market after the United States.

There have been setbacks ahead of tomorrow's match – New Orleans will be without Reggie Bush, their star running back, while LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers, who holds the NFL record for the most touchdowns scored in a single season, nurses a foot injury.

But he said: "I really expect to be as close to 100 per cent as it has been since I hurt it, and I'm looking forward to a good game. I expect it will be loud – the only thing I'm not sure about is who they're going to cheer for."

The concern for San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers focused solely on the weather, after last year's game was marred by rain. But the forecasts show the NFL can look forward, in more ways than one, to their day in the sun.