It took a while, but the last chapter of our history is finally complete and ready for comment. Thanks again to all that contributed to this project. The plan is to write a few additional posts down the road highlighting some of the stories/experiences that came up during this process. If you have a specific memory (or even a hazy one) and would like to contribute, shoot us an email at: yinzinboston@gmail.com
The success of the Pens and Steelers led to skyrocketing interest in club gatherings. By 2010, the group was too large for the basement at Roggies - a scenario not entirely foreign to long time attendees.
In summer 2011, new arrivals Bill Sofis, Jen Joy Wilson and Andy Greathouse set out to find a second Steelers bar, eventually landing at the Greatest Bar for the 2011 Steelers season and Lir on Boylston for the following two seasons.
During those years, it was not uncommon for both bars to be near capacity on game day. Signups to the group's page on meetup.com showed there were well north of 1,000 fans living in the region. Beyond that, any given Sunday saw at least a dozen out of towners show up to wave their terrible towels with the Boston fan club, a tradition that is still very much alive today.
When Roggies was forced to permanently close in early 2014, it marked the end of another era in the group’s journey.
In the summer of 2014, several folks gathered and decided to bring the club back together under one roof at Cityside Tavern, a well-established sports bar just down the street from Roggies. For the first time ever, the group had a home base with plenty of space, quality food and drink, and, finally, windows.
The years at Cityside (2014 - 2019) saw several big events, including softball and flag football tournaments against the local Ravens fan club, several Stanley Cup runs, holiday gatherings, and an AFC championship game in New England that almost ripped the ground open. Okay, not really. But Cityside did host the official Steelers pregame party complete with a live radio show and an appearance by Fast Willie Parker. Hell, there were even a handful of Pirates watch parties during these years!
After settling into the new home, it became apparent that ''Boston Steelers Fans' didn't quite capture all that the club had become. A number of different ideas were batted around about before Tim Hartnett came up with the name Yinz in Boston. Was it a statement? a question? A typo? No one was entirely sure, but the name stuck. Soon, a semi coherent branding strategy emerged that would include several different branded beer koozies, business cards, and eventually, a domain and website.
Over the past 25+ years we've changed venues a few times, added a couple thousand friends along the way, and continue to grow louder by the year. Yinz in Boston has been the backdrop for countless memories, a few good cries, and a lifetime of friendships. And we're just getting started.
