UNITED KINGDOM (WDTN) – It isn’t just here in Ohio, or even the United States, where “Who Dey” faithfuls are getting ready for the big game on Sunday. More than 3,000 miles away from Cincinnati, a loyal – and growing – section of fans are excited to cheer the Bengals on from afar.

Many of the fans were captivated by the legendary Bengals teams from the 1980’s that made it to the Super Bowl following the ’81 and ’88 seasons.

“We’ve got hundreds, if not thousands of fans over here and each has got a different story, you know?” said Paul Hirons, a Bengals fan from the U.K. He started following American football in the 1980’s despite living an ocean away from the NFL.

And with no built-in loyalties surrounding any of the teams, Paul, and other fans like David Bain who lives in Scotland, found themselves gravitating towards the Bengals. “The game’s something that I am very passionate about now, and the Bengals, and yeah I’m delighted,” said Bain. He recalls following the Bengals for about as long as he’s been a fan of American football. “What attracted me to the Bengals, that’s a hard question. I remember clearly, Joe Montana at the park, and scoring in the last couple minutes in the Super Bowl against Cincinnati, and that stuck with me.”

Hirons remembers a similar experience during his teenage years. “I saw the Bengals on TV and just saw Esiason in action, play action should I say and I just kind thought ‘well tiger stripes, I’ll have a bit of that, they look great fun to watch,’ and they were for the next couple of years.”

Starting around 2014, Hirons began chatting with other U.K.-based Bengals fans on Twitter during games. And before long they were planning meetups for fans across the pond. “As you guys know all the best ideas tend to come from a bar or a pub, we thought we’d try and start something,” Hirons said.

The @WhoDey_UK twitter account now has almost 8,000 followers – the 6th most of any U.K NFL account. Hirons, who runs the account, keeps the fanbase informed with podcasts, hosts virtual tailgates and even watch parties. “And then 2016 came around, and the London game, and it was just like that. And then just took off”

For the AFC Championship game, fans gathered at a London restaurant called “Cincinnati Chili Bomb” to watch the team’s win against the Kansas City Chiefs. And Hirons said they rented out three floors of “The Comedy Pub” in London for their Super Bowl meet-up. Tickets to the event have already sold out.

But when it comes to the fandom, both Hirons and Bain agree; one of the best parts of “Who Dey Nation” is the friends they’ve met along the way. “Just our families coming together from completely different backgrounds, just for the love of a football team for the weekend,” said Bain. I would love to catch up with everyone again.”

“It’s been one of the real pleasures of my life, I think,” Hirons said. “Just to kind of help create this community, and also to meet people from America, and people from Cincinnati we’ve kind of made friends for life really so it’s been a fantastic experience.”