Miami Dolphins A Favorite Of The British

The Miami Dolphins will likely see a sea of aqua and orange today when they take the Wembley stadium field. The Dolphins have a large fan base in the U.K. and it will be on display when they take on the Oakland Raiders.

Over the years we have had two writers who are from the United Kingdom and will be welcoming our third shortly. The Dolphins presence with fans dates further back than most other NFL teams who have had a stronger presence over the years.

While on vacation, or in the spirit of our international series…on holiday, recently in South Florida, I spoke with several families from across Europe who were also exploring the wonders of South Florida.

“What brings you to the states?” my inquisitive son asked a group from Liverpool.

“We holiday here each year and our families have holidayed in Florida for more than three decades,” the matriarch of the family told him. They held a quick conversation as we rode a tram out to the beach on one of the Southwest Florida islands. In the course of that conversation the subject turned to my Miami Dolphins football hat and how much they love following the team even from afar.

The family and another a couple of days later told me how their family had spent so many years coming to Miami and South Florida for holiday that it was something they all were brought up with. American football was all the rage back home. Talk of eventually landing their own franchise was atop their wish lists. I asked how they would feel about the Jacksonville Jaguars playing eight game in the next eight seasons in London and each said they wish it were the Dolphins.

South Florida has always been a destination spot for many europeans and it remains so today. Families have been coming to Miami since after WWII and others during to escape the war torn country. For many of these families watching the Dolphins since the late 60’s until today have given them a sense of connection to the city and state they visit annually.

Today the Dolphins will see many of those fans when they take the field. They won’t know the faces or the names but they should know that like the family I spoke with on that tram ride, they bought their tickets well in advance of this game. Many purchasing blocks of tickets the day they went on sale. That family, one of the two I met, will have made the five hour or so trip from Liverpool to catch today’s game and then head back in the morning. It’s an opportunity they won’t have again in their home country for a long time.

Rest assured however, many of them will see the Dolphins play in Miami as their winter holiday’s give them that opportunity.