KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Chiefs fans head to Arrowhead Stadium, not all of them are coming from the United States.
Some are traveling from overseas, with fans arriving from as far away as Finland, along with Canada and England.
That global reach is something Mark Coronado, owner of the Red Machine Party Bus, knows all too well.
Nearly every home game, he said, someone from overseas is on his bus.
"Our last home game, we took in seven countries," Coronado said. "Today, our longest, furthest customer is from Finland."
He said the connection between fans is what keeps the community growing.
"Chiefs Kingdom has spread so far, so wide that people just want that feeling of being alongside other people that are Chiefs," Coronado said.
For the matchup against the Jets, Michael Collins and Simon Connor traveled all the way from England to catch a ride on the party bus.
"I'm from Derby, England, and I'm from the top of England, but I live in London," Collins and Connor said.
The journey was no small feat.
"It's a 13-hour flight each way, so yeah, it's a trek but we've enjoyed it," they said. "Been in the city Friday, last night and enjoying it now."
For Collins, becoming a Chiefs fan goes back 40 years.
"Forty years ago, when I was 10, 11 years old, I used to have a pen pal when you write to people before email, etc.," Collins said. "I had an American lad who was a Chiefs fan, so that was made from then, 40 years ago."
Now he gets to share his love of the team and the city as the fandom keeps on growing.
"Everyone is so welcoming as well, even in the bars it's like, oh, you come all this way, it's like an amazing, amazing place and everyone is so welcoming, and we love it and appreciate you," Collins and Connor said.
It's a tradition Coronado wants to carry on.
"When you find other Chiefs fans and everything, you bond," he said. "You do feel like you're part of a family, which gets them coming again next year and the year after."
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