Talking Dolphins Metlife Takeover with DolfansNYC

Later today the Miami Dolphins and their fans will takeover Metlife Stadium. It’s the annual Metlife Takeover hosted by our great friends at DolfansNYC.

This years event is once again going produce a huge number of Dolphins fans at the stadium. Yesterday I talked briefly with a very busy Nate “Igor” Smith, one of the founders of DolfansNYC and he was generous with his time to answer some really quick questions for me.

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The group has been taking over the stadium for about five years now. At times, the majority of an upper deck section has belonged to the contingent of Dolphins fans attending the event. At past events, Stephen Ross, Fergie, and former players and cheerleaders have shown up at the tailgate party that the group hosts pre-game. It’s a massive undertaking from start to finish.

PP: So the obvious quesiton is how many Dolphins fans have joined this year MetLife Takeover event?

"Nate:  We have about 900 going not including the ton of Dolphins fans that bought seats near us on the secondary market."

PP: What time will you all leave Slattery’s Midtown Pub for the game?

"Nate: Buses leave at 8am sharp. The tailgate should be in full swing by 9."

PP:  This event has taken on a huge life of it’s own and is recognized annually by the Dolphins. Does it still surprise you how big this event has grown over the years?

"Nate:  It’s pretty amazing. The year we jumped from 200 people to 750 people was really insane. I just can’t imagine what it would be like if they Dolphins could actually win a few games…"

PP: The Jets front offices have to know about this event now, have you had any problems securing tickets over the last few years?

"Nate: Not at all. They love us. We give them a staggering amount of money so they reserve us a block of seats at the beginning of the season. I do think they like to troll us a bit though. They once sent us a signed Nick Mangold football to thank us for ordering so many tickets."

PP:  It’s hard to fathom the amount of work that goes into getting this together and now that Michelle Kramers is no longer living in New York has it become more difficult?

"Nate:  Michelle and I work so well together because we love doing the work that the other person hates. Organizing everything for the Takeover has been harder and required a lot more phone calls and emails, but she can do most of all the ticket distribution from Miami. The hard stuff has actually been the day to day stuff at our weekly Slattery’s meet ups. Michelle would show up early and set up our merch tables and do raffles and things and it’s really hard for me to do that stuff on my own. Fortunately I have had some help."

PP:  Finally, at what point do you start prepping for the next MetLife Takeover event? Is it when the season is over or when the schedule comes out later in the year?

"Nate:  I always take a break from football as soon as the Dolphins are out. I might watch the Super Bowl but I can’t even watch the playoffs once the Dolphins are eliminated, but once the schedule comes out it all starts up again… Hopefully next year it won’t be Thanksgiving weekend for the fourth time in a row!"