When the New England Patriots travel to Munich for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, they will arrive with a 650-person traveling party, more than seven tons of equipment, and all six of their Vince Lombardi trophies, BILD reported.
Alex Foster, senior manager international for the Patriots, described the trip to SPORT BILD as moving a small village across the Atlantic Ocean. The organization required two Lufthansa flights to transport the massive contingent to Bavaria.
The first aircraft, a Lufthansa Airbus A350-900 designated flight LH2573, departed Boston on Wednesday and landed in Munich on Thursday morning, carrying roughly 300 passengers including players, coaches, and family members. A second plane transported another 300 guests and partners, accompanied by approximately 50 team employees.
Planning for the international fixture began six months prior. “We have in May only around 24 hours before the rest of the world from the NFL learned that we play in Munich,” Foster told SPORT BILD, noting that the team’s logistics and equipment departments immediately shifted operations into high gear.
The cargo hold contained over seven tons of gear valued at several million dollars, featuring more than 70 football helmets, 200 pairs of shoes, and 300 pairs of socks. Additional marketing materials arrived in Germany via sea freight inside shipping containers.
Special attention was paid to accommodation during the long flight for larger roster members. “Our offensive line brings around 150 kilos per man on the scale,” Foster told SPORT BILD, joking that every centimeter counts on a transatlantic journey to ensure players arrive rested.
The large presence of family members stems from a specific team policy. “Every season our coaching staff selects an away game to which the families travel with,” Foster told SPORT BILD, adding that the team chose Munich this year so players could share a potential victory with loved ones.
“In diesem Jahr fiel die Wahl auf München,” Foster said, and together with family and friends, the trip focuses heavily on figures like Ann Michael Maye, the wife of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and a prominent internet star. A business administration graduate, she generates millions of clicks on TikTok with her viral Christmas baking series titled “Bakemas”.
Also making the trip is Parker Henry, who supports Patriots tight end Hunter Henry and shares her experiences as an NFL wife and mother of multiple children on social media, with plans to work as a school nurse once her children grow older.
The NFL fixture kicks off at 3:30 PM local time in Munich on Sunday at the Allianz Arena, with live coverage broadcast on RTL and the NFL Game Pass.
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