TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a huge following in the United Kingdom.
Adam Davies, who lives in South Wales, became a Bucs fan while on a Florida family vacation in 1998.
“I wasn’t a proper fan until about 8-9 years ago,” Davies said. “Then the Buccaneers took over my life then.”
Davies has an incredible Bucs fan cave with jerseys, autographed helmets and a fully-stocked bar that he calls the “Ronde Bar-Bar,” named after Bucs great Ronde Barber.
Davies is one of the 435 paying members in the Bucs UK group.
David Cambridge is one of the group’s original members when the group started in 1984.
“This was way before we had social media, internet,” Cambridge, who lives just outside of London, said. “We were getting information back on the progress on the team, scores. We were really following the Buccaneers almost a week behind.”
The group is growing thanks to its social media presence.
“Everybody is just sharing our love for the Buccaneers, enjoying the games together,” Cambridge said. “Just enjoying Bucs life as a group.”
As a sleep-deprived group with a five-hour time difference.
“A 1 p.m. game is 6 o’clock. That’s pretty good,” he said. “Then the night games are just crazy. They start past 1 a.m. So many of us watch the game through the night and get to bed around five in the morning. Maybe a couple of hours then we’re up and off to work.”
Sleepless nights are worth it with Tom Brady at quarterback.
“It started as a dream, can we actually do it?” Davies said. “Then as the game's progress, specifically after the bye week, oh my God. Absolute brilliant.”
Because of COVID-19, Bucs UK can’t watch the games together this year. But they stay in touch through message boards and social media.
