NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood has hailed Sunday night's game between the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers at Wembley Stadium as a huge success.

A crowd of 83,226 saw the Saints beat the Chargers 37-32 in a thrilling game which was the ideal advert for the NFL as they attempt to win over new fans.

"I think it went as well as it could go," Kirkwood said.

"As a spectacle for people who are new to the sport you had 69 points, some big plays and a game going down to the last second.

"There was a great atmosphere and a really good crowd got behind both teams.

"With what we're doing, trying to expand our fanbase and become more meaningful in this marketplace, you couldn't have asked for a better game."

It is also thought the game may have set a new record for merchandise sales on a single night at Wembley as fans formed massive queues outside numerous stalls around the ground.

It was the second in a series of regular-season games the NFL is staging in London as part of its programme to grow the game around the world.

Last year, the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10 in a close game that was marred by poor field conditions.

This time, the NFL deliberately chose two of the most powerful offensive units in the league in the hope of a high-scoring contest.

They got their wish as New Orleans built a big lead, going 30-17 ahead on touchdowns from Devery Henderson, Deuce McAllister, Lance Moore and Mark Campbell, only to see their advantage almost disappear in a dramatic fourth quarter.

Down by five, San Diego had a chance to win the game in the last second when quarterback Philip Rivers threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone but saw it deflected away to give the Saints victory.

While the weather helped this year, Kirkwood also believes the league learned from last year's experience and both teams came better prepared.

"Both the (team) owners were very happy with the logistics, the training facilities and hotels they used," he said.

"Going into the game, they were very well prepared and I think you could see that in the way they played. It was a close game. They both came to play."

That was particularly pleasing to the NFL's American executives who made the trip.

"From a New York perspective, they saw this as a really good step up from last year," Kirkwood added.

Kirkwood is now hoping to build on the momentum as the league did last year, when ratings for NFL games on Sky Sports shot up 45 per cent after the Giants and Dolphins had played at Wembley.

"We now need to take advantage in the short term," he said. "Last year we had a really big spike in our TV ratings. This year we will have the Super Bowl on Sky and the BBC so we will look to build on this game going into that."

Work will also begin on preparing for next year's Wembley game.

"We will be talking to the league over the next few weeks and will look to get the teams confirmed for next year so we can make an announcement," Kirkwood said.