If you go down to the woods tomorrow, you're sure of a big surprise. That is the Frankfurt

Waldstadion - the stadium in the woods - where, 24 years ago, Scotland's World Cup hopes were extinguished by a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia.

Tomorrow evening, upwards of 30,000 fans will create as fervent an atmosphere as the Tartan Army did on that occasion as further evidence that Germany has warmly embraced the American dream. For the stadium now rocks to the pompons and ceremony of American football.

Frankfurt Galaxy are the big success story of the NFL Europe League, formerly known as the World League. This year, home attendances have averaged 33,936 and more than 41,000 took in the recent clash with Dusseldorf's Rhein Fire.

Rhein have averaged a healthy 21,530 this year and, with just two weekends of the regular season remaining, there is the likelihood of a championship game between the two German sides in Frankfurt on June 14 which organisers predict will draw a capacity 54,000.

Already, close to 30,000 tickets have been pre-sold for the World Bowl and, seduced by such figures, league organisers are actively considering another German franchise for next year.

Berlin are favourites but it is likely to be at the expense of one of the current six teams. A seven-team league would be problematic and to bring in two new teams is a non-starter.

There is no other European city a realistic candidate at this stage, although Dublin, Paris and Milan have been considered in the past.

If Berlin get in, it would clearly not be at the expense of one of the established, and flourishing, German teams. Amsterdam Admirals, playing out of the magnificent ArenA, have seen their attendances pick up this year and have averaged 15,419 for their four home matches so far.

So it would be down to Barcelona Dragons (average attendance: 9175), Scottish Claymores (av: 8779) and England Monarchs (av: 6126).

While Barcelona are vulnerable, the two British franchises will also come under close scrutiny in the meetings planned over the next few weeks to formulate next season's league.

England have tried most things. A name-change from London Monarchs and staging matches in Bristol and Birmingham appear only to have fed the apathy. Indeed, the 6246 attendance at the match against the Claymores in Birmingham was swelled by a travelling tartan contingent.

The Claymores, World Bowl winners two years ago, have nurtured the grass-roots with 200 youngsters regularly involved in a youth league and, last weekend, had a favourable reaction to taking a match to Hampden. But with franchises each costing $5-6m a year to sustain, it is understandable that the league's joint-owners, the NFL and Fox Television, will be looking to protect their investment.

Each NFL team puts in the region of $500,000 into the league every year and, for that, they get the chance to see how their own fringe players are developing (NFL teams allocate players to Europe). An impressive 221 players have graduated from the European league to regular NFL.

For television's part, 44 countries have received broadcasts from the league this season.

The current owners' contract expires next year and, while there is confidence the NFL will keep a presence in Europe, there may be tinkering with the product. And after the simmering distrust left when the previous World League - featuring 10 teams - was scrapped after two years in 1992, every team finds itself looking nervously over its shoulder at this time of year.

While Germany seems to have the right recipe, the league format will lose its impact if it effectively becomes an NFL Bundesliga.

Rhein have not achieved success overnight. Three years ago, less than 7000 watched their home match with the Claymores. This year with a winning team the crowd for the fixture tripled.

What the German situation shows is that there is life outside the NFL.

Channel Four viewing figures for their weekly television show during the NFL season regularly number a million in Britain. That is why the British teams find attendances frustrating. They know the interest is there but how to take it from the armchairs to the stands is the great mystery.

Leafing through the excellent ''First Down'' - the sport's weekly newspaper - the common complaint is that the fare does not stand comparison with the NFL. But if every sport was judged on that basis, there would be few supporters at premier division soccer matches in Scotland.

It is time for the latent support to back their sport or professional American Football will soon disappear from Britain.