The New England Patriots had some special visitors on Thursday night, as they beat the Houston Texans. High up in section 306 five fans from Germany cheered the Patriots. They had made the long trip from Germany to watch the game live in Gillette Stadium.
The five are part of Patriots nHAJon, one of Germany's most active, and officially registered Patriots fan clubs. All of them are big Patriots fans and follow their team closely. Usually they stay up late into the night to watch the live broadcast in Germany. Sometimes they take of the following day from work. Thursday night they enjoyed a beautiful New England evening in Gillette Stadium. Well-deserved after more than 10 hours of travel for a two-day visit.
Earlier on Thursday we met them for lunch. Frank Neuber leads the fan club. He has been a Patriots fan for years. "I have been to Foxborough multiple times already. As a matter of fact, I will come back to the U.S. in two weeks to see the Patriots play in Cleveland." This level of dedication is not unusual for football fans in Germany, where the New England Patriots are the most popular NFL team.
Earlier in the year the New England Patriots were the first NFL team to launch a German website to provide the German fan base with up to date information on their favorite team. The page has been a huge success, and more than 7,000 fans are following "Patriots auf Deutsch" (Patriots in German) on Facebook.
After their visit to Foxborough, which also included trips to the ProShop and the Hall of Fame, our friends from Germany went down to the Cape to get the most out of their New England visit. Sunday they are headed back home. Safe travels and see you soon!
