Our History
Prior to 2009, there were a handful of Jets fans that met up at a variety of bars throughout Charlotte to watch games together. Most of the time, Jets fans were pushed into the corner of the bar, and almost never had "game audio", a privilege given to Steelers or Bills fans here in the Charlotte area.
The Charlotte NY Jets Fans started in 2009 as a way to bring these small groups together to a Jets friendly bar. At first, we hoped to get enough people to get a dedicated TV and game audio each week. However, as the season progressed and our group grew in size, we were able to take over complete bars, and soon bar managers sought us out hoping to accommodate our swelling ranks. We ended the 2009 playoff run with over 100 members.
The 2010 season started off with over 150 members and more than 100 fans at our Jets/Panthers tailgate. By week 6, we eclipsed the 200 member mark and typically get a pretty solid turnout (60-100 members) at our weekly events.
Today, the Charlotte Jets Fans is one of the largest Jets fan groups in the US.
As a fan group, we do more than just watch TV together on Sundays. Each meetup is an "event" in itself with giveaways and raffles, with cheering and people taking shots of "Jet Fuel", and a lot of camaraderie. We also host tailgates when the Jets are in town and coordinate massive road trips with other Jets fan groups around the US. Lastly, we generate donations earmarked to sponsor some of our favorite Jets players' charities.
If you want to know what 150 raving Jets fans sounds like, or what it feels like to celebrate a big win with your "Jets Family", sign up and come on out to our next meetup!
Charlotte NY Jets Purpose and Priorities
- Be the best Jets fan group in the US – the largest, most loyal, most passionate fan group.
- Be a family friendly group – an environment you can be comfortable bringing your significant other, your kids, your grandparents and your coworkers, etc..
- Be fun and energizing – promote group cheers (first down and J-E-T-S chants), shots, raffles and door prizes, give aways for kids. Should be as much fun as watching any NFL game can be short of being there in person.
- Be welcoming to new faces – a friendly atmosphere that celebrates new membership and welcomes new faces into the group by being inclusive, inviting, and by performing regular introductions for new members. Hold a Homecoming and a Rally game each year, both aimed at bringing all the new members in to meet the veterans (homecoming during the first 4 weeks and Rally during the last 4 weeks).
- Be innovative in attracting and keeping members – try new things, personalize the experience for as many fans as possible, keep members coming back even when the team isn’t doing so well.
- Be a great partner – a group that bars love to back – decent and respectable fans having a good time cheering for their team. Be known for taking good care of our wait staff and respectful of the bar and their reputation.
- Encourage diversity – a club for all Jets fans regardless of age, sex, race, social/economic, etc.
- Be vocal and engaging– provide online outlets for fans to participate, share thoughts, photos, links and other things others might find interesting. Maintain a presence on the web where fans can receive timely information about future events. [Facebook, Twitter]
Founders
The group has a history that dates back 10 years, but the current group's founders include Matt J. and Scott S. (pictured above) with a lot of support from dedicated members such as Joe K. and Xavion N. These four individuals also moderate the Yahoo! Group which is the group's way of communicating events to the members as needed.
The founders can be reached at scott@charlottejetsfans.com or matt@charlottejetsfans.com.
Minister of Information
For those of you who enjoy our Twitter posts and Facebook wall, we owe all our thanks to Xavion, who volunteered to manage our web communications. Xavion stays plugged in to all the breaking Jets news and is available through these tools to answer your questions about the Charlotte NY Jets Fans! Xavion's dedication to the task led him to Cortland for the 2010 training camp, where he brought an autographed helmet back to Charlotte (see Cheermeister) and a signed magazine he donated to the group for a contest prize. One word - Dedication.
You can tweet with Xavion @CharlotteJets or post messages to him on our Facebook Account.
The 2010 Cheermeister
An annual honor bestowed to one passionate, dedicated fan with a single critical function: whip the crowd into a frenzy. The cheermeister gets the "Rex Ryan Helmet" to wear throughout the year as a symbol of the position and responsibility, much like Fireman Ed uses his green and white NYFD helmet to lead cheers at the New Meadowlands.
In addition to the web communication duties, Xavion is also our 2010 Cheermeister. Xavion was nominated at the end of the 2009 season for this honor due to his passion and his unwavering support of the Charlotte NY Jets Fans group (and his love of the microphone!). In fact, going forward, the Cheermeister award is named in Xavion's honor, so future cheermeisters can look to Xavion for inspiration during classic "SOJ" moments...
Come out to our meetups to meet Xavion and get swept up in one of his booming "J-E-T-S" chants (or visit our youtube channel if you want to see some from prior meetups.)
Above: Xavion Newkirk, AKA Cheermeister at Fairview Grill during the 2009-10 playoffs