Jaguars fans across the United Kingdom showed their loyalty Thursday night when London's Greenwood sports pub on Victoria Street was briefly renamed "Tealwood" for a three-hour fan takeover. The event was one of three pub takeovers sponsored by the Jacksonville Jaguars' U.K. branch, timed to coincide with the team's annual home game at Wembley Stadium this Sunday. Two more events were scheduled for Friday night and Saturday afternoon, following a similar event the previous Friday ahead of the Jaguars' win over the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd, which ended 19-17 on Cam Little's 57-yard field goal as time expired.
The gatherings are part of the franchise's broader effort to grow its international fanbase, a push that began in 2013, when the team played the first of what is now 15 games in London. The Jaguars also support U.K. fans through a fan club called Union Jax, flag football clinics, player appearances, a junior cheerleading program and a Reward Rows program that sends hundreds of students to the London games each year.
Phoebe Schecter, a former Buffalo Bills coaching intern and NFL analyst for Sky Sports, said the team's connection resonates even with people new to the sport. "Even if you knew nothing about the NFL, you were like, 'Oh, but the Jags are our team,'" she said.
Fans such as Jamie Phillips and Francis Sweeney exemplify that devotion. Phillips, the team's 2024 nominee for the NFL's International Fan of the Year, has supported the Jaguars for 15 years, even though the team had only three winning seasons since the 2000s began. "A bit of an obsession, really, is what it's become," he said. Sweeney has attended the London games for five years and noted that his wife, who does not follow other sports, is also obsessed with the Jaguars.
About 200 fans attended Friday's practice at The Grove resort, the team's headquarters since October 9, alongside students from the Jag Tag flag football program for ages 8-18.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing