In October, the Bears embarked on their first-ever UK Grand Tour, visiting all four nations of the United Kingdom during a three-week trip. The organization hosted brand pop-ups and fan events in Bournemouth, Cardiff, Leeds, Glasgow and Belfast, getting more than a thousand fans to turn out during the tour.
ChicagoBears.com spoke with fans from all four nations to learn about how their fandom began, what it means to them to be Bears fans, how they’re helping form new generations of fans and much more.
Cardiff, Wales | Cardiff Castle, Oct. 10
Tom and Joseph Bond + Eleia Bond
The Bond brothers made the short trip from their hometown of Newport to Cardiff with Joseph’s 8-month-old daughter, Eleia, to introduce her to the Bears fandom she’s being raised with and, of course, enjoy the event themselves.
“This is cool,” Tom said. “I had seen it on social media, so I was just like, ‘Joe, do you want to go? We can take the baby and use her as an excuse to come here and be kids ourselves.’
“But if it’s one job I have as an uncle, it’s to make her a true Bears fan.”
Tom remembers starting to watch American football around 2006. When selecting a team to root for, he felt a strong pull toward the Bears. Joseph, however, didn’t develop a passion for the sport until a decade later, but having rooted for the Chicago Cubs in the 2010s, he joined his brother in his Bears fandom.
“I thought I might as well stick with the team in Chicago, and now I’m a big Bears fan too,” Joseph said.
For the past 10 years, the Bond brothers have bonded closer through their shared love of the Bears. They’ve also seen Bears fandom expand across the UK, creating a special community and unspoken bonds with strangers. They expect that community to grow with coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams at the helm.
“You see people randomly walking around with Bears hats and things like that,” Tom said. “I saw a guy with the same Bears hat on a random day in the supermarket, and we both gave each other the little nod. Yeah, it’s a bit of a unique thing.
“I can’t wait for the NFL season to come around every year. It’s been up and down, but we’re coming now. I couldn’t wait for Ben Johnson to come. Caleb’s balling now. We’ve had a couple of rough years, but the last two years have been incredible. This season’s looking to be good.”
Dale Edwards
Dressed to honor the legendary Mike Ditka, who passed away Oct. 9, Dale Edwards came to Cardiff Castle sporting a No. 89 jersey, Iron Mike’s signature mustache and Da Coach-inspired painted nails.
Dale may appear to be a Bears lifer, but in reality, it was only six years ago that he went with his friend to buy a random NFL jersey. Yet the Walter Payton jersey he picked up perfectly matched his childhood nickname, “The Bear,” which he said was simply because he “was big and hairy.”
“I wasn’t interested in football,” Dale said. “I didn’t know anything about football. A friend of mine wanted a Ravens jersey and he had, ‘I’ll buy a jersey if you buy one.’ I said, ‘No, I know nothing about it.’ He said, ‘Get one.’ I picked the Payton one up, and he just said ‘Oh, Chicago Bears.’
“I said, ‘Well, that’s my nickname.’ So, I was on. The following day, I went and bought a baseball cap. Then it was vintage jumpers from the 80s, the 90s. And then it just kept spiraling out of control. I’m like 25 jerseys deep, I think I’m 15 baseball caps deep, four winter hats deep.”
Now, Dale is full on obsessed. He and his wife, who reside in Bristol, England, took the short trip across the Bristol Channel to see what the Bears had brought over to the UK and further fuel his fandom ahead of a big trip to Chicago next year.
“Next year for my 50th, we get to go over to see friends in Chicago, and I want to get to a December game for my birthday,” Dale said. “I want to see how cold it is. If I don’t shave my back, I’ll stay warm. I can live up to my nickname.”
Simon Hession & Millie Ryan
Simon’s decades-long Bears fandom began one afternoon at the hairdresser’s when he was 11. While sitting in the chair waiting to get his haircut, Simon picked up a Sports Illustrated magazine featuring the Super Bowl XX opponents the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots.
“It was like, pick a team,” Simon recalled. “The colors I liked the orange and blue. It was in everything I saw as a kid, all the 80s films. I just followed them from then on. Willie Gault. Jim McMahon. Richard Dent.”
Hooked ever since, Simon is about as die-hard as it gets. He loves the Bears as much as someone born and raised in Chicago by generations of Bears fans. He’s sprung that fandom on his stepdaughter, Millie, who up until a few years ago had no interest in American football.
Now, she and her dad spend their days sending each other Bears news and videos.
“You just dragged me through it,” Millie joked. “You bought me merch, and you were you like, ‘You have to be a Bears fan.’ He was like, “I’m gonna explain the rules to you. I’m gonna buy a whiteboard, we’re gonna go through everything.” I’m a hockey fan. I love hockey, so we’ve been trading I teach him hockey and he teaches me football.
“I just enjoy watching him get so excited about everything. The minute we turned the corner here, he was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s the Bears!'”
Simon hopes the Bears will play a game in Cardiff one day. Until then, he and Millie will keep cheering the Bears on from Barry Island, just 30 miles southwest of Cardiff, and staying true to the defining factor of their fandom.
“Loyalty,” Simon said. “We’ve been through thick and thin. So yeah, it’s sticking by each other no matter how hard and tough it gets. Stand by it, make ’em proud. And look at us now. Well worth the journey. It’s been hard, been tough. But F it, we’re here.”
Leeds, United Kingdom | Leeds Corn Exchange, Oct. 11
Peggy & Rory Graham
Five-year-old Peggy Graham and her puppy, Krypto, may be the most stylish Bears fans in the UK thanks to their matching homemade Bears bandanas that they wore to the team’s Leeds Corn Exchange pop-up event.
Introduced to football and the Bears by her father, Rory, Peggy is now part of the youngest generation of Bears fans and a family tradition that began with her grandfather.
“My dad was a Bears fan from the 1980s, from the Super Bowl when Channel 4, I think, started showing it here,” Rory said. “The first time I remember watching a Bears game probably when I was about 11, so 20 years ago.
“It was always fun to watch, and every Bears fan I’ve met has always been really nice. We went to the London game two years ago as well. A few of us went, and again, the attitude was just great.”
Bonding over the Bears with his daughter wasn’t something Rory necessarily expected, but it has created special moments together, especially on gamedays.
“It’s just fun,” Rory said. “I really look forward to Sunday watching it, and me and my daughter sit down, now the dog joins us, and we just enjoy it, have snacks, and it’s all good. I really enjoy sharing this with her.”
Paula Davis
In November 2010, Paula and her husband took a vacation to Miami for a sunny getaway from the cold, dreary fall in Huddersfield, England. While they identified as casual NFL fans, they were unaware the Dolphins were hosting the Bears that same week.
“My husband and I, we were football fans already, but we hadn’t quite picked a side,” Paula said. “We weren’t even at the game, we were just in the environment. And I got adopted by Bears fans, and they were just the best. So that shipped me to the Bears side.”
As Paula learned more about the Bears in the ensuing years, she grew an even deeper appreciation and love for the team.
“It’s the history I love,” Paula said. “I like the fight in the Bears. I like the whole ethos and what they stand for and how they just battle through everything.”
One player Paula thought best embodied those traits was tight end Zach Miller, who joined the Bears in 2014 and retired as a Bear in 2019 after suffering a brutal leg injury during a game against the Saints in 2017.
Following Miller’s Injury, Paula bought a No. 86 jersey and wore it to the Leeds event, along with her Bears bow, even though she didn’t know Miller would be part of the tour. After meeting Miller and having him sign the back of her jersey, Paula couldn’t stop smiling.
“He was probably the first Bears player I really knew and learned more about after his injury,” Paula said. “That just really drew me in as well. Meeting him was lovely; I wasn’t expecting it. It’s just been absolutely fantastic.”
Rob and Hattie Nicoll
A London native and current Leeds resident, Rob’s Bears fandom came about by chance.
“My dad went to Chicago for a conference when I was 10 and brought back a Bears ‘Just Do It’ T-shirt,” Rob said. “And then when I started to like American football, I was like, ‘Well, the Bears are my team. I’ve already got the T-shirt.’ So I’m glad I stuck with it. The community around the Bears is just great as well. They feel a bit more special than other teams.”
Now with a family of his own his wife, Hattie, and their nine-week-old baby girl Rob wants his Bears fandom to stretch beyond himself. Hattie has slowly but surely come along to American football and the Bears, and their baby girl certainly has no other option.
“This is her first time wearing her Bears gear,” Hattie said. “It’s a bit big, but I think she quite likes it.”
“We were watching the Bears-Vikings game earlier in the season, and she was transfixed on the television,” Rob added. “So, that was a good sign.”
From a young age, Rob has found community within the Bears fanbase and the club’s familial atmosphere.
“Even though there’s not many friends in my circle that are Bears fans, just the online community, and then you watch it on television, and it feels like you’re part of something more than sports,” Rob said. “I feel like the heritage behind everything, the history behind the Bears, the rivalry with the Packers, it just feels like you’re sort of part of the club rather than just a supporter.
“And I feel like it goes two ways. I feel like they care about their fans and the fans are such a big part of the Bears’ story. “
Rob feels that sentiment was hammered home by the Bears’ presence in Leedssomething he never anticipated. But he’s grateful for the opportunity to properly introduce his wife and daughter to the Bears family.
“It feels great connecting with other Bears fans here today,” Rob said. “It seems like we’re all so excited for today, because it’s an opportunity for us to share how much we love the team.”
Mark & Wrigley Gautier
Originally from Chicago, Mark experienced a full-circle moment at the Leeds Corn Exchange.
Mark left Chicago at 19 to join the Marines, where he worked on submarines for 20 years before retiring to England. Born and raised a Bears fan, Mark’s support of his hometown team has never wavered.
Now, he shares that fandom with his 16-month-old Irish wolfhound, Wrigley, whom he named as an ode to Chicago and who dons a 3XL Caleb Williams jersey.
“Being a Bears fan means a lot,” Mark said. “I’m old, so I’ve had a lot of years being a fan. We had the ’85 Bears. We had the ’06 Bears, and now we’ve got, hopefully, the 2026 Bears.”
Glasgow, Scotland | Exceed & Kloud, Oct. 17
Violet & Rob St. James
On a Saturday at Exceed Glasgow, Violet St. James found a small slice of home.
Originally from Oak Park, a western suburb of Chicago, Violet grew up in a die-hard Bears household.
“I have a huge Bears family back home in Chicago,” Violet said. “Girl, you already know, my dad does not play about that. My family’s got all the jerseys. We do the Super Bowl party.”
After graduating from Columbia College in 2020, Violet decided to make a major life move that led her to meet her husband, Rod.
“He’s from Glasgow, but I’m born and raised in Chicago,” Violet said. “I went to Glasgow University to get my master’s degree, met him at a nightclub two blocks away, and we’ve been together since. His favorite movie growing up was The Princess Bride, and in the movie, there’s Chicago Bears stuff. So the fact that I love the Chicago Bears, he didn’t know what that was until we met.
“And then when we got married, my dad sent him a whole bunch of Bears merch and everything. We should be getting our jerseys for Christmas, according to my mom, that have our last name on the back.”
Now, Rod is enthralled with the Bears, much like his wife.
“I’ve very much joined the Bears family, as I don’t have a choice,” Rod laughed. “I mean, Bear Down!”
Even with an ocean between her and her hometown, Violet has remained a loyal Bears fan. So when she saw the club’s Instagram post announcing a fan event in Glasgow, she immediately registered and cleared her schedule.
“I just feel so rejuvenated seeing my people again,” Violet said. “It’s great. Like, I’m so happy right now. I’m buzzing.”
Colin McPherson
Four years ago, Colin, a Glasgow native, made a small choice that led him to a new passion.
“I became a Bears fan four years ago through my best friend,” Colin said. “It got to the point in our fantasy league where I had to pick a team to root for, so I picked the Bears, and ever since, I’ve been obsessed.”
Colin dove fully into Bears fandom, going literally as far as Chicago to attend a game at Soldier Field. He’s even traveled to Las Vegas a couple of times for games and plans on going to Miami next month for the Bears’ game against the Dolphins.
“I go to Chicago every year to try and catch as many games as I can,” Colin said. “I love the Bears. It’s given me such a community, especially in Chicago. I have friends there for life now.”
Since the Bears’ game in London during the 2024 season, Colin has seen interest in the team grow faster than ever across the UK. Taking great pride in representing that expanding UK Bears fanbase, Colin had a custom Scotland x Bears flag made two years ago that he now brings to any Bears event he attends.
“I love it, and I take it everywhere with me,” Colin said. “It makes it so I can represent Scotland wherever I go, whether it’s Soldier Field or somewhere else.”
Derek Hill
Derek’s love for the Bears began the same way many other UK-based fans did the Super Bowl XX victory over 40 years ago.
Following the 1985 season, the Bears and the NFL’s overall popularity grew across the UK and led to more games being shown. In the late 80s, Derek watched a Bears game on TV for the first time and never looked back. Over the past decade or so, social media has allowed his fandom to reach new heights.
“Now through Twitter, I’ve built a community,” Derek said. “There’s so many fans around the world. If I hear people are coming to Scotland, I reach out. It’s just the Chicago fan base it’s the best in the world.”
When the Bears embarked on their second annual Mini Monsters tour to the UK in 2023, Derek’s kids, Scott and Emma, participated in the first-ever clinic in Edinburgh, creating a full-circle moment for him.
“My kids were involved in Mini Monsters clinics about three or four years ago when they came to the UK. I can’t thank the Chicago Bears enough for making them mini celebrities in Scotland. The fact that they used Scott’s picture on their own Twitter, I was just made up. I was so happy. It made me very happy.”
Belfast, Northern Ireland | Common Market, Oct. 18
Ara, Toby & Lewis
For college students and Belfast natives Toby and Lewis, a love of Chicago sports fostered a lifelong friendship.
“When I first got into American sports, I was a Chicago Bulls fan,” Toby said. “And then it kind of was like, ‘if you’re going to support the Chicago Bulls, you’re going to support the other Chicago teams.’ So then it was Bears, Blackhawks and Cubs.
“Then I met Lewis at school, and he had posted something on his Instagram story of him being a Chicago Bulls fan. I was like, ‘No way. I like the Chicago Bulls as well.’ And then we started talking about the Bears and the Cubs.
“And we’ve been best friends ever since.”
Lewis, however, inherited his Chicago sports fandom from his father, Ara, who lived in the United States for a bit and “adored the Bears.”
Now, Ara and Lewis take frequent trips to Chicago to experience their fandom together, something that tightened their father-son bond.
“My son and I will go to Chicago now, and we’ll go watch the Cubs, watch the Bears,” Ara said. “I love being in Chicago, love watching football on TV. It means everything to us. It’s our favorite sport.”
Since Williams and Johnson arrived in Chicago, rooting for the Bears has taken on a whole new meaning for Ara, Lewis and Toby. They feel confident in the future of their favorite team and cannot wait to see what else Williams does on the field.
“The last few years, it’s been great,” Lewis said. “I love being a Bears fan, and we love having Caleb. I feel like we’re gonna get there. I feel like we’re gonna win the Super Bowl with him. I love it. I love Caleb. I love the Bears.”
Inish & Tula
Despite growing up in Drogheda, Ireland, Inish has always felt a strong connection to Chicago, where some of his extended family lives.
“I’ve been visiting them since I was six months old,” Inish said. “I remember walking down the lakefronts, going to games at Wrigley Field, seeing Soldier Field from the car. Going up to the Sears Tower. All sorts of snow.”
Through his annual trips to Chicago, Inish developed a deep Bears fandom that, as he’s grown older, keeps him feeling close to his family across the pond.
“It’s natural that I support the Bears,” Inish said. “When I watch the games every week, it’s connected to memories from my childhood.”
Now he is sharing his passion for the Bears with his girlfriend, Tula, a Baltimore native he met in college in Dublin. While Tula grew up in a Ravens household, she has begun rooting for the Bears to support Inish, leading them to the Bears’ watch party in Belfast.
“When I heard the Bears were coming to Belfast, I told her, ‘I have to be there,'” Inish said. “I’ve never been to a Bears game, so this is the closest I can get.”
Ellen McElligott & Ethan Gill
Two years ago, Ellen McElligott and Ethan Gill made a life-changing decision.
After taking annual trips to Ireland and the UK to visit aunts, uncles and cousins who lived across the pond, Chicagoland natives and lifelong Bears fans Ellen and Ethan decided they wanted a new adventure. So they packed up their lives and moved to Dublin.
“It was literally the stupidest thing we’ve ever done that worked out fantastically,” Ethan said.
A couple of months ago, when Ellen saw that the Bears would be hosting events in the UK, the couple immediately planned a weekend trip to Belfast, eager to reconnect with their roots. Even while living away from home, the Bears have been a way for Ellen and Ethan to remain close to their family and friends in Chicago including her parents, who have been Season Ticket Holders for 40 years even if it means watching games at all hours of the day and night.
“I mean, we joke all the time that my sanity, sometimes, depends on the Bears,” Ellen said. “Like last year for the Bears-Packers playoff game, it was at 2 o’clock in the morning in Dublin. We came home on a Saturday night, we took naps, we set alarms, and we woke up at 1 o’clock in the morning to watch the Bears playoff game.”
Still, Ellen and Ethan never anticipated that the Bears would come to their new home away from home. For them, seeing the Bears reach an international fanbase in the same way they do their hometown fanbase has only emphasized the impact the club has had on their lives.
“Being a Bears fan is just it really does sound cheesy, but it really just is so much of who we are,” Ellen said. “It’s ingrained into both of our families.”
