Gladiators are Wembley bound!
As the NFL returns to Wembley for the third year running, in the form of the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Colchester Gladiators are continuing to make preparations of their own.
In 2007, when the Miami Dolphins entertained the New York Giants in the first of the International Series games, Gladiators’ Media and Marketing Manager Martin Wilmott came up with the idea of hiring out the nearest pub and staging a British version of a tailgate party, where fans meet up before a game, talk football, and eat and drink plenty. Local rules prevent people from “tailgating” in the Wembley car park, a tradition amongst American sports fans that had been replicated in
The Great British Tailgate Party was born and, now in its third year, is the must go pre and post game venue for American Football fans. The “GBTP” is based at the Green Man Hotel, just five minutes walk from Wembley Stadium. It now covers two days; Saturday evening’s entertainment will be commencing at 6pm and will feature a quiz night, animated snail racing and lots of football talk, with opportunities to purchase NFL merchandise from an official retailer.
The main event is the Sunday and people come from all around the country, Europe and
Last year it was estimated that several thousand people joined the Gladiators and the Dance Team at the Green Man and it is open to all, has no entry charge, and details can be found both on the Gladiators’ website at www.colchestergladiators.com and the new, dedicated site at www.gbtp.co.uk.