Liverpool fans recently traveled to watch the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs - and compared the famous Anfield atmosphere to the electric crowd known as Bills Mafia.
Last month, the NFL flew three Liverpool fans to watch the Bills in action in the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens. This unique opportunity came about as part of an ongoing series between the Premier League and the NFL, focusing on elevating and sharing fan experiences across different sporting cultures.
While there is a different culture and way of life in Buffalo compared to Liverpool, there are plenty of similarities. The cities are built on their hard-working population, with the sports teams representing their people and their passion.
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Fans of the Bills and Liverpool FC are known to be among the most passionate and die-hard in the NFL and Premier League respectively. One of the fans suggested Buffalo is a similar city to Liverpool: “From what we’ve heard, from what we’ve seen while we’re here, they’re very similar places.”
The group of Reds watched the Bills take on the Ravens in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. Buffalo took advantage of several Baltimore offensive mishaps to secure the 27-25 win at a snowy Highmark Stadium.
The fans packed inside the stadium loudly cheered the Bills to victory despite the icy temperatures, creating a palpable atmosphere comparable to the Kop. One of the three Liverpool fans said: “As Liverpool fans, we pride ourselves on being loud, but that was something else that, to be fair. They’ve gained three of the biggest fans in the last three days.”
The Bills have never won the Super Bowl, losing four successive trips to the Big Game in the 1990s. Their championship drought - and similarly passionate fanbase - had been compared to Liverpool and the barren drought of Premier League titles before Jurgen Klopp's side clinched victory in 2020.
Liverpool is also reportedly looking to strike a deal with the NFL to host games at Anfield. The Reds requested the ability to host NFL games at Anfield in their planning application to the city council to arrange for the expansion of the Anfield Road End stand.
This move undoubtedly follows Tottenham's decision to allow a number of American Football games to be played at their 62,000-seater stadium in London. The new Anfield stand added 7,000 extra seats, and the original request asked for Anfield to host other sporting events such as NFL games around two or three times per year.
Whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen, but it seems Liverpool fans - three of them, at least - have found an NFL team in the Bills.
