HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. — With less than a week left until the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams kick off the NFL season, the Southern California welcome wagon is getting ready to roll out the red carpet for fellow Bills fans.
Bills Backers groups from San Diego, Los Angeles, South Bay, and Orange County, as well as the company Fans of Buffalo, have been working hard the past couple of months to get everything prepared.
“We're ready to host Bills Mafia and we're excited to have them,” said Dan Godwin, co-president for the South Bay Bills Backers.
Godwin who graduated from Niagara-Wheatfield and now lives in Los Angeles has been one of the many cogs working to turn Thursday’s opener into more than just a football game but a football experience.
The South Bay Backers are set to host a Welcome Party in the beachside town of Hermosa Beach Wednesday at 2 p.m. Two local bars Tower 12 and Baja Sharkeez will play host. On Thursday, a video of a massive Labatt Blue delivery arriving in Los Angeles went viral, but by Friday evening members of the Los Angeles Bills Backers said the amount needed to be upped. The first delivery was worth an estimated $24,000.
“We're going to have five DJs, two bands. We're going to have bills merchandise and a 50-50 where half the proceeds will go to charity,” Godwin said, in true Mafia fashion.
When game day comes around, the biggest tailgate in town will be happening from noon to 4 p.m. at the Hollywood Park Casino, directly across from SoFi Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams. It's being hosted by Fans of Buffalo.
Founder Will Bradley said as soon as the game was announced, he knew there would be high demand from fans. Despite a slow start to ticket sales, as of Friday they are nearly sold out.
“My mom usually tells me I'm crazy for doing this, and a lot of times people don't know how we do it. It's basically planning a wedding for a small city," Bradley said.
Fans of Buffalo has around 300 tickets left to sell for the tailgate, with the total attendance expected to be around 3,000 people.
“My phone is blowing up every few minutes with orders coming in for the tailgate," Bradley said.
Another Buffalo transplant, J.D. Grimes, who grew up in Lockport and now lives in Los Angeles, said this game is something he would never miss, especially when you consider the last time the Bills played in Los Angeles was 2017 against the Chargers; 2016 is the last time Buffalo played the Rams out in L.A.
“It's a big deal for all of us. It will be very exciting especially in the new stadium, especially at max capacity. It's going to be madness,” Grimes said.
Grimes plans to hold his own tailgate in SoFi's pink lot, the only tailgating lot at the stadium, after receiving a coveted spot. But whether partying at Hermosa Beach or tailgating with 2,999 of your closest fans, the welcome wagon says they will be ready in L.A.
Simply put, Godwin added: “We just want to bring Bills Mafia together and have a good time, and hopefully get the ‘W’ next Thursday."