Smeaton conceded, however, that the league would have a lot of work to do over the next two years to fill all 91,000 seats.
Well-educated, affluent young men in China's main urban centers would be the league's targets and new television deals and the use of other more cutting-edge broadcast platforms would play a role in the growth of the league's profile, he said.
RELATIVELY PROSPEROUS
The fans would have to be relatively prosperous as the replica Patriots jersey going on sale in Beijing this week will sell at 680 yuan ($89.30), a huge sum in a city where average disposable income is still just 19,978 yuan a year.
Watson said one of the most important messages he wanted to get over to the Chinese was that anyone could play the sport.
At 6ft 3in (1.9m) and 255 lbs (115.6 kg), the 26-year-old is very much the personification of the hulking NFL player.
"Football's not all about athleticism, it's about strategy and teamwork and these things are deeply rooted in Chinese culture," he said.
"People come in all shapes and sizes. You've got guys like Yao Ming here and I was in the Pearl Market the other day and I saw some guys bigger and stronger than me.
"We're not here to start a new NFL, we're coming here to try and tell people who think it's impossible to play American Football that it's not. Everything starts somewhere."
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