Cleveland Browns: Q&A with British Bulldawgs Backers

The Browns Backers Worldwide is considered to be one of the largest organized fan clubs in all of professional sports with members and clubs established throughout the world.

The organization exists as a non-profit group to actively support and positively promote the Cleveland Browns.

Today, in the latest of a series focusing on the best fans in the NFL, we talk with Steve Maybury, president of the British Bulldawgs Browns Backers in London. Established in 2001, the club has 38 members and calls The Hippodrome on Leicester Square home. You can also find them on Facebook.

Maybury was kind enough to join us for a virtual Q&A on the club and what it is like to be a Browns fan in the heart of the former British Empire.

Question: How did your chapter come about?

Steve: My wife and I had travelled to the U.S. for a number of Browns Backers get togethers, and after meeting a number of presidents from other chapters and the then-liaison coordinator of the Browns Backers, Cristal, I decided to form a U.K.-based club and called it the British Bulldawgs Browns Backers.

During our bye week an advanced expedition party of David Baynham, Oliver Feeley, Norman Whitlock, and Jane and Steve Maybury checked out the Sports Café on an NFL Sunday night. Officially, this was the first meeting of our club and we agreed on the name, but just as importantly heard the news that our Browns were going to be live on Sky TV for the Battle of Ohio. We immediately decided to meet up again for the game and hoped other members could make it.

We booked a table right in front of the big screen and had 15 people turn up, which was very impressive. Eight were club members, three were American Browns fans on business in London, and three were Bengals fans who were friends of our members.

“The usual heroic losses, but great nights with Leicester Square echoing to Here we go Brownies!’” – Steve Maybury, British Bulldawgs Browns Backers

The game had already kicked off prior to Sky’s coverage starting and the first live play we saw was Ben Gay taking a seven-yard-loss and fumbling. Cue a chorus of “Who dey gonna beat dem Bengals?” Needless to say we recovered from this mistake and put together an awesome defensive performance against an admittedly poor offence and shut down Corey Dillon.

The result was great, but we also had a great time with beer, wings and chips flowing, and high fives exchanged after our big plays. The game was brought to a rousing conclusion with a spirited rendition of “Who let the Dawgs Out” by kind permission of The Sports Café.

Overall, a great night out and all that attended vowed to make it back for future games.

The night was complete when a few of the people who stayed late bumped into some NFL Europe fans they knew from the Scottish Claymores and the Rhein Fire.

Question: What is the atmosphere like when the group gets together for a game?

Steve: Until the last season or so, we only met up infrequently as the only live games were the ones shown by out satellite broadcaster. Those were invariably the big games, so they did not show the Browns very often. When we did get together, it was great, and the best occasion was the Steelers playoff game when we had 25 members cheering on the team only to be gutted by a familiar last-minute let down.

Now the NFL has allowed bars to show all of the games and we meet up regularly. People come from quite a long way and it is good to meet up with old friends and talk about the Browns. Two games stick out from last year — opening day against the Steelers and the big game against the Colts. The usual heroic losses, but great nights with Leicester Square echoing to “Here we go Brownies!”

Question: The NFL is working hard to be a global force; how much interest do you see the game having outside of your Browns Backers’ group in your area?

Steve: An amazing amount, which I must admit it has surprised me. The interest in the games in London is phenomenal, and all of the games are sold out again this year. It continues to grow but is still very much a niche sport, football (soccer) is king here!

You rarely see people wearing any team colours or hear people talking about the NFL. The NFL has done a great job in selling itself here, but I still struggle to see a franchise in the U.K. I can remember previous NFL attempts to gain support over here and, after an initial honeymoon, people reverted back to their original sports.

Question: What off-season move was the Browns’ best?

Steve: I would say it was average and seemed to be a “stick to the plan” off-season and build for the long-term. This makes sense (assuming Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine are the right guys), but I would not be surprised to see one or both canned after another losing season. The best move was probably drafting to stop the run and rush the passer. If we could do both of these things, the defence could be good.

Question: The Browns are trying to win with a dominant defense and running game, rather than a dominant quarterback. Can they pull it off?

Steve: I think probably not because I am unsure if we have a dominating defence; last in the league in rushing yards allowed last year is a real concern. Also, we do not know what we have at running back and have a huge question mark at quarterback. Finally, teams built as you describe need excellent play from the return games and this is another big question mark.

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Question: “In Pettine We Trust!” Yes or No?

Steve: I thought he was a desperation pick last year and would not have received a head coach job anywhere else. He exceeded my expectations and seems to be a good guy, but I do worry about having a first-year offensive coordinator with an inexperienced defensive coordinator and head coach. His game management at times also seemed a bit iffy.

Question: Have you ever been to Cleveland for a game or does the group have any plans to do so?

Steve: We have been to many games as have lots of our members. We are not going this year, but will definitely do so next year. We have visited lots of parts of America we otherwise would not have such as Tampa, Phoenix, New Orleans, Cincinnati and Green Bay, and have always had a great time.

What’s the best part about being a Browns fan?

Steve: It has to be the camaraderie of all Browns fans that we meet, either in the U.K. or the U.S. They are nearly all good people and love the team (and city) for the right reasons, not just because we win! The way the team has been run in the last few years has worried me (sacking a coach after one year, appointing Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi, the FBI investigation into Pilot Flying J, downsizing the stadium, textgate, etc.) and I sense a “woe is me” attitude amongst Browns fans. We will see!

Coming to Cleveland itself is always a pleasure, the build up to the game starts when we arrive, and the city is great for a Browns weekend. Game day is fantastic with fans everywhere from breakfast time and then off to the Muni Lot. We head into the stadium to watch warmups and then the game itself. We have not really seen a great game (maybe the Bengals 51-45 game or the helmet toss game were good), but no matter what we head back to the bar at the old Holiday Inn to meet friends and get drunk.

Next: Fan expectations for 2015

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Q&A with the British Bulldawgs Browns Backers

By Thomas Moore | Aug 1, 2015

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