US: The Kansas City Chiefs are playing in their first NFL International Series match.

The NFL International Series returns to London for its ninth year In October, giving British fans the chance to see their favourite stars in action. Making their first appearance at Wembley Stadium is the Kansas City Chiefs, taking on the Detroit Lions on November 1st. In preparation for the Bills' visit to London we look at the history of this AFC West franchise.

History

The Kansas City Chiefs began life in Dallas as the Texans up until 1963. Lamar Hunt was the man responsible for bringing a professional American football team to Kansas, rebranding the Texans as the Kansas City Chiefs on May 26th, 1963. The newly-formed Chiefs quickly established themselves as a powerhouse in the American Football League (AFL).

In those early days, the Chiefs, along with the Oakland Raiders, dominated the AFL, picking up their second Championship in 1966 after breezing through the season with a 11-2-1 record. They beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFL Championship Game to set up a match-up with the Green Bay Packers in what would be the first ever Super Bowl match.

Thanks to the Chiefs' strong performance while still in their infancy, they were at the forefront of the AFL-NFL merger. This was not enough to claim the inaugural Super Bowl as they lost out to the Packers. They did not have to wait long to secure that coveted Championship ring as they lifted the Vince Lombardi trophy in 1970, beating the Minnesota Vikings.

The 1970s and 80s were somewhat of a barren patch for the Chiefs and it was until the 90s when they recaptured their mojo. Between 1990 and 1997 they featured in the play-offs seven times but were unable to reach the Super Bowl.

The 2000s have been a somewhat mixed affair with four play-off appearances but also the embarrassing record of 2-14 in 2008. The worst the franchise has ever seen.

Stadium

Since their relocation from Dallas, the Chiefs have had two places to call home. Between 1963 and 1971 it was the Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. They shared the stadium with Major League Baseball teams Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Athletics. When the ground was demolished in 1976, the Chiefs had already moved on.

They found their new home in the Arrowhead Stadium. Built in 1972, this 76,416-capacity stadium became the base of the Chiefs up until this very day. Shared briefly with Major League Soccer side the Kansas City Wizards, the stadium has held a number of football matches, namely a game between Manchester United and the Wizards.

The Arrowhead entered the record books on October 13th, 2013 when it became the loudest stadium with noise levels reaching 137.5 dB during a game between the Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. The record was broken by the Seattle Seahawks' CenturyLink Field but the Arrowhead reclaimed the title in September 2014 during a game against the New England Patriots when the noise hit 142.2 dB.

Key player

Touted as one of the best running backs in NFL, Jamaal Charles is the heartbeat of the Chiefs side. Picked by Kansas City in the third round of the 2008 draft, Charles has become the focal point of the team. Featuring in no less than four Pro Bowls, the running back has excelled and was instrumental in guiding the Chiefs to the play-offs in 2013.

A personal best of 12 touchdowns during the course of the campaign, he helped the Chiefs to a 11-5 record in the AFC West before they were narrowly beaten by the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Playoffs. A strong performance from Charles in London will prove crucial to the Chiefs' success.

Super Bowl history

The Chiefs were instrumental in changing the face of American football when they competed in what would be the first ever Super Bowl in 1967. Billed as the First World Championship AFL vs NFL, it pitted the winners of the AFL (the Chiefs) against the winners of the NFL (Green Bay Packers).

In front of a packed Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Chiefs wilted in the Californian sun. They found themselves 0-7 down at end of the first quarter until a touchdown from Curtis McClinton got them level, but that was good as it got as the Packers ran away with the game. Four more touchdowns gave Green Bay a comfortable 35-10 win.

That disappointment was eradicated just three years later as the Chiefs claimed their first Super Bowl title. This time it was the Minnesota who were the opposition and the Chiefs were in no mood to throw this one away. Rushing into a 16-0 lead by half time, a further touchdown from Otis Taylor gave Kansas City a 23-7 victory.

Since then, it has been a relatively barren spell when it comes to Super Bowls. Despite the abundance of play-off appearance during the 1990s and early 2000s they have yet to return to play for the grand prize. Their last play-off match in 2013 saw them lose to the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Play-offs.

2014 season

The Chiefs had a topsy turvy 2014 season, ending with a 9-7 record. There were times when a place in the play-offs seemed assured. They enjoyed a five-game winning streak between October and November but three damaging defeats in a row saw them slink back behind eventual AFC West winner the Denver Broncos.

They ended their campaign with 19-7 home victory over the San Diego Chargers.