Saturday, June 12, 4 p.m. French American football fans (and maybe even a few curious ones…) had an appointment at the Jean-Bouin stadium for the first match of the Paris Mousquetaires on French soil. They are 4200 to have made the trip.
What did it look like? Back to this day.
Almost like the NFL…
At first glance, NFL supporters are well represented at the entrance to the stadium: jerseys from American franchises, caps and other products derived from the big league are numerous. There is almost an air of an NFL match in London, all things considered in terms of crowds and the XXL dressing of the public space.
Besides that, some supporters are already wearing clothes from the French team. For those wanting to join the movement, a small stand offers caps, bucket hats, t-shirts and jerseys in the colors of the new franchise. Success is there with a tail that gets longer and never empty before the start of the match.
On the snacking side, we find the classics of the genre: fries, hot dogs, beers… No change of scenery at first sight.
A palpable enthusiasm
On the grandstand side, the organizers have chosen to gather the overwhelming majority of the public in part of the stadium. Inevitably, if it gives a void effect on the photos showing the other 3 sides, the bet is rather winning for the atmosphere.
Nearly 4,200 spectators gathered on this Saturday and it shows. Despite a slight lack of coordination (tempo, speech, etc.), quite logical for a first, the public gave voice throughout the match. From the Marseillaise through the songs to the glory of Paris or the slogan of unity of the team: “One for all, all for one”; spectators cheered on their team throughout the game. Mention also to the few German supporters who made the trip with flags and drums, in the finest “ultra” tradition.
And the 1st earth touchdown 🇫🇷 in the history of @parismusketeers #all for one pic.twitter.com/58LjWzmTY7
— DNA of Sports.com – NFL News 🏈 (@DNA of Sports) June 10, 2023
And then how not to fall under the spell of some “folkloric” scenes, such as a coach passing through the stand to join the bench, a spectator who keeps screaming to attract the attention of a friendly player or even to realize that there will be no replays of live action and even less of an arbitration challenge for the coaches?
And now ?
Yes, the Musketeers lost this first match in their stadium. But there is no reason to believe that this result is a harbinger of bad news for the rest of the matches at Jean-Bouin.
On the one hand the atmosphere was excellent despite the defeat. We felt a public happy to see US football in a beautiful stadium and excited to come back. Above all, and for the most skeptical, the quality of the game may have surprised more than one, including the writer of these lines. Pleasant atmosphere and level of play, inevitably this will have a positive impact for the future.
The hardest part remains for the franchise by building loyalty beyond the inaugural game. But with what we saw on Saturday, it looks like the Musketeers are on the right track to create a great community.
Next match at Jean Bouin on July 1, against Hamburg.
Here… pic.twitter.com/tgcZZDgPAy
— Nicolas Diaz (@nico190782) June 12, 2023
