Meet The Team | UK Steelers

I remember getting my mum to tape record the superbowl as a kid when I saw an advert for it and wanted to know what it was all about. Fast forward almost 30 years and I still don't have a clue.

I properly started following the NFL in 2010 and somewhere along the way I starred primarily watching the Steelers since I came to love that brand of football that they play. I was also a huge MJD fan back in 2010 so I could've easily ended up as a Jags fan.

10 year old me who wouldn't say boo to a goose wouldn't believe that I get together with some great friends so people can listen to our thoughts on the Steelers, no matter how ill advised they are. Go Steelers!

DAVE

Back when there were 4 TV channels in the UK - Ch4 introduced me to Joe Montana, Randall Cunningham & Warren Moon, I got hooked to the sport, and the team I felt most affinity to was the Steelers - the way they played with a toughness and a gritty realness was essential viewing.

Really grateful to Jason for setting up the UK Steelers group - incredible what he's built, today a vibrant community of over 700 members, which back in 2016 was just 15 people chatting on a game thread.

Little did I know one of those 15 people would turn out to be Simon from The UK Steelers Podcast, who in 2019 encouraged me to go on a mad audio adventure every week checking in and chatting Steelers, now it feels like family, a great place to hang out. Hopefully we can carry that energy on, to build a bigger Steelers family in the UK and beyond…

GAV

My grandad was a steel worker and I went to university in the UKs steel city so there was only ever one team for me. I enjoy the team building and draft aspects of the NFL and I will always have a controversial all in / all out opinion on most draft prospects!

KETTS

My Steelers fandom started in 2005 after I moved to the UK. I chose the Steelers thanks to my Grandad attending Duquesne University in the 1950s. Conveniently, the year I started watching the Steelers we won Superbowl XL! A few years later I cemented my passion for the Steelers as all common sense people do….by getting a Steelers tattoo!

I’ve been very fortunate to see the Steelers twice at Heinz Field, at two other times away from home, a solid 3-1 record in those games.

Around 2012 is when I started to deep dive into the NFL Draft, wanting to know about the next crop of Steelers I’d be rooting for. I joined the podcast initially talking all things NFL Draft. Have thorough enjoyed the last few years connecting with the Steelers family here.

MIKE

When 7 year old me won an inflatable football helmet at my local carnival, it began a journey of glorious, championship winning highs and gutting, usually-Tom-Brady-related lows that 26 years later still runs strong.

More of a casual yet eager fan for so many years, in 2019 my interest in the sport as a whole really picked up, joining the UK Steelers FB group and setting up NFL-only social media accounts that now get used far more often than my main accounts!

This all culminated in become a regular listener to, then producer of, and finally come 2023 co-host of the UK Steelers Podcast, bringing an unhealthy obsession of Keeanu Benton, a litany of bad takes and a middle ground to the North/South debates to the table.

MARK

Podcast creator. Hotdog annihilator.

SIMON

JASON B

Channel surfing as a bored 13 year old, I came across the '84 AFC Championship which I found out later was Dolphins v Steelers. I thought "what a weird sport", but didn't think anything of it. In week 6 or 7, I came across the Sunday evening Ch4 show; it was Browns v Steelers. I watched the whole thing. Later that week, Mom had some catalogue and I opened it to an NFL framed picture and stared straight at the Steelers one. I bought a rules book and went on from there. It's been a ride!

JASON T

In 2006, I was dreaming, and in that dream I was playing lead singer for Pantera. In the crowd were big Ben and Troy; they both came back stage and said the music was cool. They asked if I fancied playing for the Steelers, I said I don't know, I can't throw a ball. They instead invited me to Pittsburgh however I said I was in my bed dreaming and that would be ridiculous. Anyway after a few beers, Ben had some great stories, Troy said why don't you support the Black and Gold. Eventually I did wake up from my slumber of course, and when I woke up, there was a big Ben jersey and Troy jersey hung up with a signed autograph saying thanks for the memories.

I've been a Steelers fan since.

PHIL

LEE

I started watching on Channel 4 on Sundays when I was about 9. Unfortunately it all boils down to two reasons. I thought the uniform was cool and my dad's mate always had a Steelers cap on. Turns out he had family over there. And here I still am, 30+ years later

RICH

LAURA

I first started following the Steelers and the NFL in my early teens after stumbling across a late-season home game where the Bus was working his usual magic. I was transfixed immediately!

As I learned more about the team and Pittsburgh as a city, I fell in love even more. As a Glaswegian, picking a team who was based in a proud, culturally rich, industrial city felt fitting. My passion for watching the games then extended into researching and collecting signed helmets of players, past and present.

In this group of wonderful people, I play the part of designing and running the website, helping as an admin in our Fans Group over on Facebook and occasionally pulling together questionable graphics for the guys on the Podcast. But my most crucial responsibility is encouraging Jason to buy merch so its not available for me to 'Add to Cart', egging our sillier members on when they are being their silliest, as well as starting entirely irrelevant debates, usually around food...you know, the really important stuff!