Where Steelers fans can get together in Boston for the AFC Championship Game
More than 140 Pittsburgh fans are expected.
For fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers living in the heart of Patriots country, there’s a specific bar where they can feel right at home.
Cityside, in Cleveland Circle, is the designated Steelers bar for those waving the “Terrible Towel” and hoping to watch the AFC Championship Game while not hiding their fandom. As it has been for the last three years, Cityside is home for the regional Steelers fan group, known as “Yinz in Boston.”
“It’s been a great relationship,” said one of the group’s organizers, Bill Sofis, in a recent interview about the Cityside treatment. Not all bars are as accommodating as might be expected for fan groups.
“You’d be surprised how difficult it is to find a bar that willing to honor their commitment in terms of actually putting the game,” Sofis explained. “A lot of places, you show up with 25 people on a Thursday night for a game and the Celtics are playing and they have 30 people for that, so we’re [out of luck]. They’ve been great about not doing that.”
For Sunday’s AFC Championship, Sofis said that he expects the upstairs (which is devoted to Steelers fans) to be at the 140-person capacity. And more are expected to show up, finding a place downstairs, though that area is not devoted strictly to Steelers fans. On the groups’ Meetup page, Sofis said that demand to RSVP for an upstairs spot went quickly.
“We got up to the limit that the fire code allows within basically an hour,” Sofis explained. There’s a waiting list that fans can still join, and the downstairs remains an option.
In normal circumstances, Sofis said that “at least 50 people” are there for games. “It’s a good crowd.”
Beyond the AFC Championship, the group is active throughout the year. On different occasions, the “Yinz” get together with other fan clubs for softball and flag football games. And this year, they are even sponsored by a Pittsburgh whiskey brand, Wigle.
And while Sofis stressed that Steelers fans be on their best behavior if they visit Cityside, he noted that friction between fan groups is the exception, rather than the rule.
“The vast majority of people are respectful and if they say something, it’s good natured.”
The Patriots and Steelers game kicks off at 6:40 p.m. on Sunday evening. On Saturday, Steelers fans also gathered at Cityside for a special team event where former Pittsburgh players made an appearance.
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