Plenty of football fans? Check. Remembering to buckle your seat belt for basketball? Got it. New baseball stadium? You bet. Sold out crowds for softball and gymnastics? Of course. Then the heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder, kinda lives here too, so it’s getting pretty crowded in Tuscaloosa. However, soccer fans are nudging other fans over to get in on the action.
For those of you that don’t know, the ‘American Outlaws’ are an unofficial supporter’s group for U.S. men’s and women’s soccer. Now don’t let the term unofficial get to you. This is a group with over 170 chapters across the country and over 30,000 members. These are the guys that paint up, create chants, organize events in your local area, and overall, create a really fun environment for soccer fans. Just so happens, Tuscaloosa is now an official chapter and their new home for matches is at Black Warrior Brewing Company.
With the Women’s World Cup going on, this is a great time to join in. I talked with the President and Vice President of the new chapter about membership, what to expect and the growth of the chapter.
“Our core group is going to be passionate people, passionate fans that want to be apart of it. Then you’ll have people who just want to come watch soccer and drink a couple of beers. I think people will come in and see how passionate we are, we’re not going to sit here and be the secondary sport here. We love this game and we’re going to show you.” -Aaron Barrett, President of the chapter. Even if you just want to go have a beer and watch the game, you can. This isn’t going to be restricted to just members, anyone can go watch the games and experience what the Outlaws are all about.
The American Outlaws viewing party checking out the food catered by Taco Mama and watching the U.S. Women’s Soccer team defeat Nigeria on Tuesday night.
Even though the official member count is hovering around 30, the chapter has just now been gaining support over the last few weeks. With two guys head of the chapter, that are very passionate about soccer and know the area very well, the influx of students coming in and out doesn’t strain the group. “Living here for 10 years, I know a lot about the area. Tuscaloosa is a very diverse area and we’re going to provide support here and be visible.” – Devin McAnnally, Vice President of the chapter went on to say.
“I’ve been a soccer fan ever since I was born, played all the way through college. I moved to Alabama and didn’t really find a home for soccer for several years. I happened to see American Outlaws on Facebook and thought it was a great idea. Love to see soccer grow in Tuscaloosa and support both of the U.S. teams. So I reached out and thought it would be a great fit because beer and soccer always go together.” – Eric Hull, co-owner of Black Warrior Brewing Company.
Well, he’s not wrong. Black Warrior Brewing’s upstairs area provides ample room for viewing parties and the beer selection is plentiful and great tasting. I, perhaps, tried that out a bit too much that day. The fun doesn’t end here. New Alabama Women’s Soccer Head Coach Wes Hart was in the building and I had a chance to talk with him as well.
“I think it’s awesome. Tuscaloosa is clearly a football town and rightfully but it’s great to see there’s a following in soccer and hope it grows, but it’s awesome to see. I had no clue there was a group here but when I found out I thought it was pretty cool.”- Wes Hart, Head Coach.
From my experience, I think this is great not only for soccer fans but for sports fans in the community as well. Seeing the local community support the new chapter, seeing the chapter supporting Alabama Women’s Soccer and vice-versa, it creates a great energy in the room and a fun environment to be around. Whether you’re a super fan, just getting into soccer or even just want to grab a beer, check out Black Warrior Brewing the night of a match and see for yourself.
“Well I love Black Warrior Brewing, it’s quickly become one of my favorite places to go to. I’ve always been an everything but soccer kind of guy growing up and I was interested to see what these viewing parties were all about and I’ll definitely be back.” – Alex Edmonson, now U.S. soccer fan.
You can find the American Outlaws chapter on Facebook and Twitter, for all your informational needs.