Ex-Newcastle forward Shola Ameobi and Green Bay Packers legend Antonio Freeman at the Packers fan huddle event at Shearer's Bar
Ex-Newcastle forward Shola Ameobi and Green Bay Packers legend Antonio Freeman at the Packers fan huddle event at Shearer's Bar(Image: Green Bay Packers/Michelle Mercer )
Typically if you were to enter a busy Shearer's bar in the bowels of Newcastle United's St James' Park stadium you would be greeted by a sea of black-and-white jerseys.
But for one night only on Thursday evening it was a swarm of green and gold as over 400 fans of the NFL franchise the Green Bay Packers packed (pardon the pun) the venue out for a 'Packers huddle event'.
Green Bay worked in collaboration with Newcastle to stage the event in the region with a further fan huddle event taking place in London. It followed similar events in Dublin and Berlin in recent years.
But there was nothing random about Newcastle being chosen to host the event. It has followed a pattern of events that have linked Newcastle United and the Green Bay Packers in 2026 after the Premier League and NFL unofficially paired the two storied sporting institutions together.
Get Chronicle Premium now for just £1HERE– exclusive news and features, our NUFC and Academy notebooks, plus an ad-lite experience
Two Newcastle fans, Anth and Sarah Nicholson, took part in a fan exchange which saw them take in a weekend in Green Bay to learn about the Packers' history and take in their match against rivals Chicago Bears, which is the Packers' equivalent of Newcastle facing Sunderland.
Since then, Packers' Irish punter Daniel Whelan was videoed taking in a Newcastle United tour with his dad, who is a Newcastle fan, and since then the connection between the two clubs has grown. Another Packers star, wide receiver Christian Watson, sent a video message that was shown at the start of Thursday's event, too.
Green Bay is a small town of 100,000 people and one of the last small-town NFL franchises remaining but with one of the biggest histories in the sport.
The Packers have won more NFL Championships (13) than any other franchise and are the only fan-owned professional sports team in the United States. It makes for an electric atmosphere at their 81,000 capacity Lambeau Field home and it makes them a relatable franchise to the working class roots of the north east and the values of Newcastle United.
Indeed, 1996 Super Bowl winner and Packers legend Antonio Freeman, who did a question and answer session at the event, likened the atmosphere inside the bar to a tail gate outside of Lambeau Field.
Freeman, whose son Alex is a professional football player for Villarreal and the US national team, had spent the day taking pictures of St James' Park and excitedly sending them to his son before leading supporters in a rendition of the Packers' famous chant: 'Go Pack Go' which he then adapted to 'Howay the Pack'.
Newcastle United legend Shola Ameobi then took to the stage to profess his love for NFL that was born 23 years ago when he was undergoing an operation in Denver.
Antonio Freeman and Shola Ameobi at the Packers fan huddle in Newcastle
Antonio Freeman and Shola Ameobi at the Packers fan huddle in Newcastle(Image: Green Bay Packers/Michelle Mercer )
Ameobi talked up the similarities of the passion of Newcastle fans with the passion of Packers fans before professing that even now in a non-playing capacity he retains the goal of helping United get to where they want to be - among the conversation of the biggest football clubs in the world.
Having left his role as loan co-ordinator for Newcastle over the summer to become the club's new head of corporate affairs, it could be in Ameobi's gift to possibly help land an NFL game in the city in the future.
The three 2026 NFL London games get under way this weekend as the Indianapolis Colts take on the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Next weekend sees the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Philadelphia Eagles at the same venue before the following weekend sees the Houston Texans take on the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.
Of course, such lofty ambitions will only likely be met if Newcastle opt to move to a brand new stadium rather than revamp St James' Park but Spurs have shown the huge commercial revenue you can generate by hosting NFL matches.
That decision is not expected imminently but what is clear from Thursday's event, which also saw New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, LA Rams, Cincinatti Bengals and New England Patriots jerseys dotted around the venue, that there is an appetite in Newcastle for that to happen in the future.
And what is also clear is that if that ever was to come to fruition, then Newcastle already have a natural partner in the Green Bay Packers to help make it a reality.