CHARGERS: Loyal fans follow team to London

By Gary Warth - Staff Writer | Sunday, October 26, 2008 9:08 PM PDT ∞

LONDON ---- Del Mar residents and longtime Chargers fans Tom and Kellie McCarthy couldn't believe they were in Wembley Stadium on Sunday waiting for their favorite team to take on the New Orleans Saints.

"When we learned the Chargers were going to play here, we got our airline tickets," said Tom, who booked the flight in March.

A couple of months later, they learned they were pushing their luck by not getting tickets immediately.

People who wanted to see the game had to enter a lottery, and odds were against the McCarthys.

Fortunately, a friend in Milan, Italy, came through and bought the tickets on eBay.

"This is cool," Tom said as he sipped a beer at a tailgate party outside the stadium.

"I wouldn't miss this game for anything," said Kathy, who flew to London despite wearing a neck brace to nurse a pinched nerve.

"We are loyal Chargers fans. We have been for 25 years. Even when they were 1-14," she said. "Isn't it just exciting to be here?"

Jim Littman of La Costa, another season ticket holder, said he got his ticket immediately with no problem.

"I think it's fantastic," Littman said about being in London to watch the Bolts. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go to Wembley. My friends tell me it's a religious experience."

Littman's friend Gavin Hayhurst, a London resident, wore a LaDainian Tomlinson jersey and said he was looking forward to finally seeing the team live.

"It's very popular here," he said about American football.

The NFL last had a league in the U.K. about five years ago, and Littman said he used to follow the British Monarchs team.

Inside the stadium, the Saints seemed to be the fan favorites, but some U.K. residents were cheering on the Chargers as their adopted team.

"I went on holiday and watched the game in a San Diego bar, and I've been a fan ever since," David Brown of London said.

"I've been watching the game in the U.K. for 10 years, and I just chose the Chargers as my team," Richard Black said in a thick Scottish brogue.

The two friends have known each other 10 years, but learned they share a love for the Chargers only five years ago, when Brown saw Black wearing a team jersey.

"It's great to see them in the U.K.," Black said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

But then there was Keith Smith of Essex, England, who billed himself as the "Crusader Raider."

Dressed in medieval garb with an Oakland Raider logo as his crest, Smith said he was there specifically to root against the Chargers. Smith also said he felt fortunate to get tickets, as he heard 2 million people had entered a lottery for them.

Kellie Flaherty of Carmel Mountain said coming to the game was a great excuse to visit London.

She and her husband, Ron, have been season ticket holders since she bought them as his Christmas present two years ago while he was in Iraq. He is a Marine chief warrant officer stationed at Miramar.

"It's very surreal," Ron said about watching the Chargers in London. "It's awesome."

The Flahertys did feel a little uneasy in their hotel, however.

"We booked our reservations before we realized we were in the Saints' hotel," he said. "The whole Saints team is there."

"They've been really good," Kellie said about the fans. "Except for this morning. Game day."

London was lousy with Chargers and Saints fans all week, with gold fleur-de-lis and yellow lightning bolts seen along the banks of the River Thames, Piccadilly Circus and, of course, pubs throughout the city.

They passed one another with quiet head nods or boisterous high-fives, tourists with a common purpose and a sense of sharing something special as their teams prepared to play in London.

Carmel Valley residents Rich and Susan Pyke arrived in London on Monday and took a side trip to Paris before returning for some sight-seeing.

While touring the Tower of London, Rich said he probably sees two Chargers home games a year.

"He's a sports addict," Susan said. "I try to go to one a year."

Susan's brother lives in London, so the game provided an opportunity for a reunion. This was Rich's first trip to England, and he bought his tickets on eBay for 249 pounds each, or about $395.

Londoners did not seem excited about the arrival of American football. A BBC sportscaster admitted that someone had to explain the game. He also reported, however, that the NFL's arrival had been a major morale boost to the small American football league in the city.

The game also was an opportunity for Louisiana to promote New Orleans. On Friday and Saturday at the massive O2 entertainment complex, some of the Big Easy's biggest names performed to Americans and Britons.

"You ready for Sunday?" a Chargers fan said passing a Saints fan.

"We're ready."