It has been a career-long dream for former TCU football player Thomas Hensey to bring an American college football game to England. Nearly forty years later, that dream has become a reality, as the COO and co-founder of the Union Jack Classic prepares to host the Arizona State University Sun Devils and the University of Kansas Jayhawks for the inaugural edition of the game on September 19, 2026. Set to be played in Wembley Stadium, the national football stadium of England, Brits will get to experience the culture of tailgating, Fox Big Noon Saturday, marching bands, cheerleaders, mascots, and of course a great Big 12 football showdown.
As we fleshed this out, we thought, we’ll bring Game Day over, we’ll bring pep rallies and tailgating, and we’ll bring this to Wembley…. It’s called Wembley Way, and you get out of the tube – 70% of the people will arrive at Wembley that way – and you see the stadium with the big arch… it’s inspiring, it’s a giant stadium that seats 90,000 people for a soccer game or a concert. But it is the national stadium, it is where the England national team plays, it’s where anybody who’s anybody comes to play, concert-wise: Madonna, Pavarotti, The Rolling Stones, Queen. They’ve all played Wembley, and if you’ve played Wembley, you’re pretty iconic. So it’s the venue of legends, as they call it here, and it is a proud moment to be able to sign a lease agreement with Wembley Stadium to bring two college football teams.
Thomas Hensey Co-Founder & COO of the Union Jack Classic