ST. LOUIS • The Rams will be able to play a "home" game in England this year in exchange for boosting the number of weekends that the Edward Jones Dome can be booked for other uses during the football season. The team also agreed to pay temporary, game-day employees the hourly wages they would have earned at the Dome for the game against the New England Patriots.

The agreement, which amends the Rams' lease at the Dome, was approved Tuesday by the two public agencies that own and operate the building. It paves the way for the Rams to play the Patriots at London's Wembley Stadium on Oct. 28. The lease had previously mandated that the Rams play all home games at the Dome.

But the negotiations over London games may not be over. The Rams also want to play a "home" game overseas in 2013 and 2014. The deal approved Tuesday only applies to the game this year. The future games allow the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission to retain a bargaining chip over a separate, larger issue: negotiations about renovating the Dome.

Kathleen "Kitty" Ratcliffe, president of the CVC, which manages the Dome, said in a statement that she was "delighted that we are able to find a mutually beneficial solution."

Kevin Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations, endorsed the deal in a prepared statement.

"This agreement gives the CVC more powerful tools to help entice major events to St. Louis, which parallels our strategy of elevating St. Louis on a global stage," Demoff said.

The deal was approved at closed meetings Tuesday afternoon by the boards of CVC and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, which owns the Dome. The agencies did not release the lease amendment, but Ratcliffe spoke with reporters about the details of the deal.

The amended lease gives the CVC more dates to schedule conventions and other nonfootball events at the Dome during the football season. That could more than make up for the loss of downtown spending from one football game, Ratcliffe said.

"The season has some big months, especially October," she said. "It's a prime convention month for most cities."

The Rams' lease currently allows the CVC to book conventions, concerts or other events at the Dome only one weekend per month from August through December. The amended lease allows the CVC to book the Dome on two weekends per month during the football season in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

After 2015, and until the lease expires in 2025, the arrangement would be different. The CVC would be able to book the Dome one weekend per month from August through December, but gets three additional weekends to use during the season, Ratcliffe said.

The Rams' rent at the Dome won't drop. The Rams pay the CVC $25,000 per game for eight home games and two preseason games at the Dome. Even though the Rams will play only nine games at the Dome this year, the team still will pay $250,000 in annual rent, Ratcliffe said.

With a deal for one London game now reached, the CVC and Rams still face negotiations over how to renovate the Dome.

The team's 30-year lease keeps the Rams at the Dome through 2025, but it contains an escape clause if the building isn't a "first-tier" stadium by 2015.

The CVC has proposed $124 million in improvements, but it wants the Rams to pay for about half. The remainder could come from higher fees for tickets and parking, or other public sources.

The Rams must approve or reject the CVC proposal by March 1. If the team rejects the plan, it has until May 1 to make a counteroffer.

Ratcliffe said there was a pressing need to resolve the London dispute because tickets for the Wembley game already are on sale. When asked if the London deal means the CVC gives up some leverage in the first-tier negotiations, Ratcliffe smiled.

"It's only one year," she said.

Games in London, where Rams owner Stan Kroenke already owns a soccer team, are part of the NFL's efforts to expand its global reach. Classifying the game as a "home" game for the Rams means the team keeps a higher percentage of ticket receipts than as a visiting team.

Also, NFL teams that have played in London have been guaranteed ticket revenue equivalent to a sellout. Wembley Stadium seats more people than the Dome, and will feature higher ticket prices for the Patriots game.