The Second, Third, and Fourth of Many
Kicking off the NFL season, Tailgate united out-of-market fans from Philadelphia to Chester County, PA, creating unforgettable watch parties for Eagles, Phillies, and Browns fans. From the Jersey Shore to local bars, we’re building a community where fans can celebrate their favorite teams together, no matter where they call home. Check out the highlights and join the Tailgate waitlist to find your fan community!
After a busy summer spreading the word about Tailgate, it was only fitting to keep the good times rolling into the Fall sports season.
We kicked off September with Eagles fans at the Jersey Shore to celebrate Week 1 of the NFL season. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers squared off in São Paulo, Brazil and The Beachcomber Resort in Avalon, NJ was absolutely rocking.
The pregame tunes were bumping, the pies from Mack’s Pizza in Stone Harbor were cheesier than I remembered, and the firepit kept folks warm as they watched their beloved Birds under the summer stars. I’m big on giving back to the fans, so we closed out the night by raffling off a Fanatics gift card to a lucky fan who joined Tailgate’s pre-launch waitlist!
Fast forward to Sunday, September 8th and a doubleheader of Tailgate-sponsored events.
The day started with a Philadelphia Phillies watch party for residents of Madison West Elm in Conshohocken, PA. The sun was shining, Sunday football was back in full swing, that Fall smell was in the air, and there was a ton of excitement from those who heard Tailgate’s origin story and the vision for out-of-market sports fans. Yet again, the waitlist grew larger as fans signed up to be the first to check out the new app.
After the Phillies event, I hosted a watch party at Barnaby’s with the Chester County Browns Backers, the local Cleveland Browns fan group out of West Chester, PA. I met their President, Ed Jones, after the Euro Final back in July and we collaborated to bring a handful of Browns fans together to watch the opening game against the Dallas Cowboys. And although the Browns lost, it was great to see the power of Tailgate in full effect as it brought together a community of Cleveland fans from across Southeastern PA.
That’s really what Tailgate’s all about: finding your people, connecting over a shared passion for a particular team, and going through the highs and lows together as one fanbase. No fan should have to feel like they’re alone on an island because they like a different team.
Thank you to everyone who came out in September to represent their favorite teams and to learn more about Tailgate — the Birds fans at the Jersey Shore, my Phillies fans in Conshy, and my new Browns friends down in Chesco. I had a blast getting to know you all and the stories behind why you’re an Eagles, Phillies, or Browns fan!
Stay tuned for more Tailgate updates and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook (Tailgate App), TikTok, and Instagram (@tailgate.fan)!
The First of Many
The first Tailgate watch party was electrifying! See the full recap here.
The bar at Kildares Irish Pub in West Chester, PA was absolutely PACKED for the 2024 Euro Final between England and Spain on July 14, 2024. Despite a torrential downpour across much of the Northeast, soccer fans came out in droves to support their countries and enjoy the sweet sounds of the Main Line’s best, DJ Ascendance, for a groovy pregame set.
Spain’s Nico Williams scored in the 47’ to suck the life out of the primarily-English supporting crowd at Kilds, but the Three Lions would not be held scoreless for long. England’s Cole Palmer sent a low line drive into the bottom corner in the 73’ and the English fans in attendance erupted with excitement. As fans waited on bated breath for what seemed like another inevitable extra time session, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal sent a crossing pass into the back of the net in the 86’ and ripped out the hearts of every English fan in the building. Chants of “OLE! OLE! OLE!” rang through the bar and despite a flurry of late headers from the English, Spain held on to win the final 2-1.
And although there were many hanging heads that left Kildares after the match, the atmosphere was fantastic with more than 200 fans in attendance and the app was well-received. So many people approached me and said, “I love what you’re doing to create a community for fans like us.” We raffled off a Christian Pulisic USMNT jersey, gave away a bunch of freebies like bottle openers, stickers, and hats, met a ton of English & Spanish football fans from far and wide, and shared the origin story of Tailgate: an app being built for out-of-market sports fans to find and connect with one another like never before. See my full story on the “About” page.
This is just the beginning for Tailgate and fans everywhere, though. Times like this are what it’s all about. Coming together with people like you even when you’re thousands of miles away from your home team. The shared excitement when the bar erupts with cheering fans or having others to share the misery when the result isn’t what you wanted. Being a fan is about belonging to your tribe and feeling that sense of community and this event was all of that and more.
Big shoutout to Kildares for hosting the event, to DJ Ascendance for laying down the tracks, to my friends who came out to support me, and to the fans who made the atmosphere so fun and lively. Already looking forward to putting another Tailgate event on the calendar to bring even more fans together!