by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Jacksonville Jaguars fans beware. There’s going to be a whole lot of green — as in Philadelphia Eagles green — in the stands at Alltel Stadium for Sunday’s game.
Infamous for their team loyalty and willingness to travel, Eagles fans have scooped up 2,500 Jaguars seats so far.
“That’s just the number of those representing themselves as Eagles fans. This is a very big game for both sides,” said Dan Connell, senior vice president of marketing for the Jacksonville Jaguars. “It isn’t a surprise that this many fans are coming.”
According to Connell, the average number of visiting fans is usually between three and five hundred.
“This is definitely a noticeable difference,” said Connell, who mentioned Green Bay and Pittsburgh as other pro teams with a large number of traveling fans.
And area hotels and businesses are hoping to see an impact from the Philadelphia faithful.
“We love to see out-of-town fans,” said Karen Townsend, the director of sales and marketing for Atlantic Beach’s Sea Turtle Inn. “We’d love to see some more.”
The hotel will be welcoming Eagles fans this weekend, just as they welcomed a small group for last week’s New York Jets game.
While the Sea Turtle does advertise locally, with a television commercial during Jaguars games and a billboard at Alltel Stadium, “outbound advertising is just very expensive for a sole hotel,” said Townsend. “We rely on our participating with FLAUSA [a marketing arm for the State of Florida] for advertisement, as we’re listed on their website.”
Other area hotels seem to be taking similar steps to attract out-of-town football fans.
Joe Hockenberry, general manager of the Radisson, said his hotel does do a limited amount of out-of-town advertisement.
“We will try to communicate with travel agencies in other cities known for being fan-oriented,” he said.
Connell added most fans have their plans together before the Jaguars can offer recommendations.
“They usually want to stay close to the team,” said Connell. “They’ll try to stay at the same hotel if possible.”
Philadelphia fans should feel welcome once in Jacksonville. While most hotels are not planning major events for visiting fans, they do provide any relative information regarding special events for the game.
R.P. McMurphy’s, a sports bar in Jacksonville Beach, is known for being a hangout for Eagles fans who flock to the bar to watch the games. A manager said the staff is preparing for a wild weekend. The bar is planning a cookout and expects that part of the street next to the bar might be closed, allowing the festivities to spill outdoors.
Another group of Eagles fans is being entertained by Jacksonville’s Fraternal Order of Police.
René Angers is the Jacksonville FOP’s lodge administrator and was contacted by a group of Philadelphia area FOPs whose members will be in town for Sunday’s game.
“They joked that if I didn’t find them something to do, they were going to burn the town down,” she said. “I hooked them up with Jacksonville police who will be tailgating.”
Angers also will provide tickets for a Mayport cruise and a list of the City’s golf courses.
With so many Eagles fans on their way into town, Jaguars fans are going to need to make their presence known Sunday.
“It is very important that everyone with a Jaguars ticket comes to this weekend’s game,” said Connell. “If they can’t come, they should pass their ticket on. Jacksonville fans should fill the rest of the stadium.”
Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m.