How many other NFL teams can boast fans so loyal they'll find ways to watch their team every week, without fail, in another country? Not only do Bills fans around the world find a way to watch, but they figure out how to bring Buffalo to them whether through homemade wings or a special shipment of their favorite Buffalo brews. It's not easy to be a fan so far from home, but Bills Backers are unique and so is their devotion at home and abroad. This Cinco de Mayo, here's a look at five countries with Bills Backers International Chapters, uniting Bills fans from Mexico to Budapest.
UNO: Where better to start than just South of the border where we found the inspiration for this story. Two groups of Bills Backers have active chapters in Mexico, in the border town of Reynosa and a bit further inland in Monterrey. Join these Backers at Rico's Sports Bar in Reynosa or Fanattic in Monterrey for some Bills flavor in Mexico this season.
DOS: Directions to the Bills bar on the Caribbean island of Dominica aren't traditional: walk up the road in Salisbury, past the playing field, and then past the free water pipe. Ma Clem's shop will be on your right, and upstairs on Sundays, you'll find Erin Sozanski and her Bills Backers in Dominica. Though not a place many Bills fans will happen to be traveling through, we think this tropical Bills bar might be worth a vacation.
TRES: Across the Atlantic, you'll find no shortage of Backers chapters in Europe, where some Buffalo ex-pats are making efforts to convert the continent to Bills fandom. Take Paolo Miranda for example. This leader of the Bills Backers of Italy, located in Venice, became a fan when he was introduced to the team by a girlfriend from Buffalo. Now, he holds watch parties every week with Italian friends he's taught the game of American football, and makes the trip once a year to an away Bills game. Read Paolo's full story, and connect with him if you're ever traveling through Italy during the season – he'd love to have you!
CUATRO: Moving farther east, the Bills Backers of Budapest have a unique tradition of making their own blue cheese. Makes perfect sense to us – what's a good wing without its proper dipping companion? "Many people have left Buffalo physically, but haven't fully left 'Buffalo,'" Budapest Backers President and Williamsville native Daniel Poisson said. "I get excited every year no matter what." Check out their full story here.
CINCO: In the shadows of Wembley Stadium, famous for its football matches - though not the American kind – lie the Bills Backers United Kingdom. These noble fans challenge London with American football every Sunday when they watch the Bills kickoff at dinnertime. Though they won't be celebrating Cinco de Mayo, we're sure they'd love to have you for a pint during the season. Like them on Facebook and pay them a visit when you're in town.
For a complete list of Bills Backers International Chapters both overseas and in the U.S., click here. Any questions about finding a chapter near you or starting your own? Email us at billsbackers@bills.nfl.net.
