Newcastle in America: Tailgating in Philadelphia and a place called home

Let’s face it, we’re standing in a car park sucking in fumes — gasoline with a delicate hint of hops. This is a tailgate Philly-style, Newcastle United-style, Lot K of Lincoln Financial Field and although this is definitely, undeniably a place where people park their cars, in the City of Brotherly Love it feels more like a community. And you want to know something weird, something beautiful? It feels a lot like home.

Advertisement

Home: a long, unforgiving stretch of tarmac — 100 per cent a car park — slowly grilling in the furnace of this late July Sunday afternoon on America’s east coast.

Home: familiar faces and accents, because when Geordies move, they do it with heft, bringing their flags from North Shields, South Shields, “Geordies on Tour”. Charlotte from True Faith is here, Adam P, of YouTube fame. With Shola Ameobi and Warren Barton, former players once again connected to the team they graced, popping down to take a gander.

Home: a white Hummer truck christened “Electric Eddie” in honour of head coach Eddie Howe, stacked with booze and brews, which Lawrence and the gang offer willingly to anyone who expresses the mildest of interest (spoiler: the interest is not mild).

Home: a tacked-up sign which reads “Howay the Lads,” and offers a few helpful rules of engagement. “Nee Workie Tickets” (translation: no arseholes please), “Divvent be a Radgie (enjoy, but do so with a healthy portion of chill-out), “Gan Canny!” (Look after yourselves, and each other), “Canny Bag O’Tudor” (we reminisce fondly about potato chips manufactured by a sadly-defunct company).

Home: a kid in a Sunderland strip, strolling by towards the stadium, smiling to the sound of climbing jeers.

Home: Toon Army Philly, Toon Armies DC, New York and Lehigh