Bears in Belfast: Postcards with Zach Miller | Monday, Oct. 19
As told to Gabby Hajduk
The Bears officially wrapped up their UK Grand Tour Sunday in Belfast, Northern Ireland, after traveling to five cities across all four United Kingdom nations over the last three weeks. Former Bears tight end Zach Miller discusses the final stop, including seeing a Bears win at the Common Market watch party.
Wow, I can't believe that's a wrap on our fall tour. It doesn't feel like I've been in the UK for 10 days now — it's flown by. I really didn't have any expectations coming in, and it turned out to be an incredible experience.
Our last stop was in Belfast, where we held a watch party at this really cool space called Common Market. We only spent about 36 hours in Northern Ireland, but I enjoyed every minute of it — just incredibly nice and welcoming people everywhere. The night we flew in, everyone wanted to decompress a bit, but we stopped at our hotel pub for a quick bite and the energy was insane. Live music, people dancing and just having fun — it immediately re-energized everyone. Just a good ol' fashioned time.
I got up on Sunday and went to a breakfast place called Neighborhood Café that my good friend Dermot Kennedy recommended, and it did not disappoint either. Great food, great coffee. Just exquisite. And again, great hospitality.
The vibes were the same when I got to Common Market in the evening. The game didn't start until 6 p.m., but there were Bears fans there as early as 2 p.m. just hanging out. It was awesome.
The atmosphere at the watch party was very cool. I had never done an event like that, watching a game with all the fans. But seeing everyone come together to cheer on the Bears was so much fun. And of course, winning helps. I was able to bounce from table to table and just talk to all the fans there and hear about how they became Bears fans, how long they've supported the team and how so many of them have passed the fandom onto their family or friends over here.
It's really cool to see the similarities in people across the world. We're all just trying to live this life and make it as good as possible, and we've all come together to enjoy a shared passion like Chicago Bears football. I've loved seeing the family connection that the franchise brings to people all over the world. A lot of people carry a lot of pride about being a Bears fan over in the UK. It's been amazing to see that firsthand.
The watch party was the perfect end to an already incredible trip. To go from country to country over the past couple of weeks and cap that all off with a Bears win was the cherry on top.
I just hope we were able to bring the joy and fun of football and the Bears to our fans over in the UK through all these events. The Bears set out to achieve this goal of being the first NFL team to visit all four UK nations in one trip, and to see that accomplished and be a part of that achievement is something I'm very proud of.
It might be a shame if we don't do a trip like this every year. It felt like in every city, I just heard more and more fans express gratitude for us venturing throughout the entire UK. People were so excited to see the Bears in their hometown, and it felt like we brought in a bunch of new fans as well.
I appreciate everyone for allowing me to be part of this trip and the fans for making each stop unforgettable. We appreciate our UK fans so much, and we hope to see everyone again soon!
As always, Bear Down!
Zach
The Bears wrapped up their UK Grand Tour over the weekend with a takeover at the Exceed store and Kloud Concept café in Glasgow on Saturday and a watch party at Belfast's Common Market on Sunday, both of which were attended by Staley Da Bear and former tight end Zach Miller.
