Checking in from Cardiff: Postcards with Zach Miller | Saturday, Oct. 10
As told to Gabby Hajduk
The Bears are across the pond for the UK Grand Tour, which features brand pop-ups and fan activations in five cities across all four United Kingdom nations. Former Bears tight end Zach Miller joined the Bears in Cardiff, Wales, for the second stop of the tour. Check out his postcard where he discusses his experience at the brand pop-up event at iconic Cardiff Castle, visiting Cardiff City Football Club and why he's excited to represent the Bears on the tour.
What's up Bears fans — it's Zach Miller here, and I'm with the Bears on their fall tour through the UK. I met up with everyone in Cardiff, Wales, a couple days ago and I've been really enjoying the city. I've never been before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but great city and very nice people.
We just wrapped up our main event in the city, a cool brand pop-up at Cardiff Castle, which is literally old castle grounds right in the middle of city center. Incredible.
I mean, what a great turnout of Bears fans that we had. It's incredible to be halfway across the world and see so many people turn up to an event where that's not even a Bears game, or any game for that matter, attached to it. It was really just about bringing Bears fans together, hanging out, having a good time, playing some games and welcoming new fans in.
I've seen firsthand how well Bears fans travel back home, but you never expect it to be this way in a different country so far from home. We've got the best fans in the world.
One of the coolest things I've experienced over the years is the growth of the NFL and football in general over here. By now, you kind of expect a turnout in London for the games just because of the size of the population there, and it's where the NFL first planted its international roots. But to come out to Wales and still draw hundreds of people — it's just a great thing to see.
I met so many incredible people today, one being a gentleman who was decked out in honor of Mike Ditka. He had the Ditka jersey, his mustache was on point, great haircut and just great energy. He even had his nails painted with #89 and Bear Down, so he was carrying Caleb's mantra too, which was awesome. He was so energetic and just had a good vibe about him, so I really enjoyed chatting with him and his family. They all had Bears jerseys on too.
We're heading to Leeds now for the next stop of the tour, but I did get to see a little more of Cardiff before our event. On Thursday, we checked out Cardiff City Football Club's training grounds and spent some time with the team. Being there made me miss my old life a bit, being at Halas Hall in such a pristine facility. You go out to Cardiff City's grounds and their grass, the pitch – it's beautiful.
And then you walk down the hill, they have their practice fields, then right down the path, there's just a giant historic castle. I'm like, "alright, I'd be fine coming to work here to play a game that you've loved since you were a little kid and just have a castle in the background."
We hung out with Nathan Trott, their goalkeeper, for awhile and learned he's a big Caleb Williams fan, so we got to chop it up a bit.
My 9-year-old son plays soccer, so I've been enjoying the sport more, but obviously these guys are on a different level. I told Nathan I wanted to get in the net and have him kick one at me just to see what it's like. He took it easy on me, but holy ... it's just a way different game these guys play here. To see their expertise up close was awesome.
I'm excited to experience the rest of the tour, meet more fans and have a good time. When this opportunity popped up, I was immediately in because I still love being connected to the fanbase.
I also still love representing the franchise. The McCaskey family and the club as a whole, they've done so much for me. I love to give back however I can and stay involved in the community, and no cooler way to do it than coming out to the UK.
Can't wait to see more of our UK fans soon!
-Zach
