Stephen O'Brien, the founder of the UK and Irish Packers Fan Club, is in Pittsburgh to announce the Green Bay Packers' fourth-round pick at the NFL Draft, as the team's International Fan of the Year! He's helped grow the UK and Irish Packers Fan Club into the largest Packers fan club, outside the U.S.
O'Brien, who lives in Ireland, said his love for the team started because he is a history enthusiast. He was a casual NFL fan who watched the Super Bowl because other games were behind a paywall in his country. When someone told him to pick a team, he noticed most were named after animals, like bears, falcons, and lions, and wondered what a Packer was.
"So I went in to look at it, and of course, that brings you back to the Indian Packing Company, and the Acme Packers, and Curly Lambeau in 1919, and the championships, and Vince Lombardi, and Don Hutson, and it just goes on and on and on," O'Brien said.
The history, combined with the team's long-term success and community ownership, solidified his choice. O'Brien noted that Ireland is a historical place, mentioning he can look outside his house and see a wall older than the United States, so the Packers' deep roots resonated with him.
Watch: Packers fan from Ireland at the NFL Draft: The Packers international fan of the year travels to Pittsburgh
"Because the people are so friendly, so welcoming, and it just really feels like home when we go over every year," O'Brien said.
O'Brien brings fans to Lambeau Field every year and has visited the stadium about 10 times, sometimes seeing doubleheaders. He said the stadium stands out because it is located right in the middle of a residential community.
"It's very emotional for some people," O'Brien said.
He recalled bringing a fan from the United Kingdom who had watched the famous Ice Bowl game between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys featuring Jerry Kramer. O'Brien said witnessing that fan see Lambeau Field for the first time was a special moment.
"You realize that, yes, it's just a sport, and yes, it's a bit of fun, but for an awful lot of people on my side of the pond, you know, they're saving up for a very long time to come over, and it's a bucket list trip," O'Brien said.
O'Brien said fans traveling from overseas are immediately welcomed by Wisconsinites who invite them to tailgate and offer them free beer, something he said is unheard of in the UK and Ireland.
"It never gets old, it never stops giving me goosebumps, and it's always... it's still a bucket list item for me that I just do every year," O'Brien said.
O'Brien visited Green Bay this past fall and will announce the Packers' draft pick on Saturday, calling the opportunity a dream come true. He says he will find out if he is the NFL International Player of the Year, after the draft is over.
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