Voice of London

Claire Da Bear, the official NFL superfan of the United Kingdom, wants to share her love for American football with fans around the world. 

Hailing from Surrey, England, Claire’s love for the sport started at the age of three with a chance viewing of Super Bowl XX in January 1986. The Chicago Bears were battling the New England Patriots for the championship title and it was in the waiting room of St. Peter’s Hospital during the birth of her baby brother where her love for the game instantly developed.

“It was during that moment that I decided the Chicago Bears would be my team,” expressed Claire, who wears a personalised Bears jersey during each of her public appearances. “They ended up winning that Super Bowl and my nickname was Claire Bear which meant I shared the same initials as the team. So, that’s how I decided I was going to be a loyal fan.” 

It has been over three decades since Claire began her love affair with the popular American sport and her love continues to grow. She has been recognised as a prominent voice within the NFL community in the UK and was featured in a video for Yahoo! Sports in early January 2019. 

Since London began hosting NFL games in 2007, she has religiously attended every professional game played in the UK but one—which she missed due to being in Las Vegas for a wedding but still made sure to catch the game at the sportsbook in Caesar Palace Hotel and Casino. 

“I absolutely love attending the NFL games in London because it has such a fun, party atmosphere,” said Claire during an interview outside Wembley Stadium for the match between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams. “All jerseys are welcome. All fans are welcome. It’s an event that truly highlights the genuine love for the sport.”

Claire isn’t the only hardcore NFL fan that resides in the UK. She joins the growing number of NFL ambassadors who use their social media platforms to reach football fans across the globe. Claire leads the passionate online community alongside Crusader Raider, NFL Girl UK and the Kilted Texan to name a few.

What makes Claire unique is her incredibly diverse NFL giveaways that she hosts on her impressive Twitter account with over 10,000 followers. To date, Claire has held 190 fan giveaways of merchandise that she has obtained from attending signing events with popular teams and notable athletes. Everything up for grabs during her online competitions has been won by Claire herself or has been donated from a retired independent sport shop-owner who loved her selfless nature.

“It feels great to give away merchandise that fans might never have the chance to get their hands on otherwise,” states Claire, who even offers giveaways during the offseason. “I’m able to meet a lot of players at signings since the NFL comes to the UK so gifting international fans with signed sports memorabilia that aren’t able to attend these events is very rewarding.”

Follow @clairedabear85 on Twitter for her next giveaway this week that runs from Monday 4 November until Friday 8 November and check out Voice of London’s exclusive interview with Claire Da Bear outside Wembley Stadium in the video below. 

 

Words by: Tatiana Solomon

Photos: Claire Da Bear