New Orleans Saints: Interview With Ash Pimble From The UK (Part 2)

Who Dat Dish finishes part two of the interview with Ash Pimble. He is a diehard Saints fan that resides in the U.K. Part two begins now…

Here is the excerpt from part one. This sections starts off where the conversation left off last week.

Dean Mullen: Have you ever been to New Orleans? Also what do you know about the city?

Ash Pimble: As I answered in question one, I first visited in 2001. I have been back in 2004 and 2008. My wife and family are looking to take a trip soon, maybe next year to the city of N’awlins.

What do I know about the city? The one fact that I always remember about New Orleans is why it’s called the ‘Crescent City.’ The original town Vieux Carre, the French Quarter was built at a sharp bend in the Mississippi River, and the town was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne. And of course we can’t forget the devastation that Katrina caused.

There was no doubt a difference between 2004 and 2008 when I visited and how the city was still recovering from that force of nature.

DM: What was your favorite moment as a Saints fan?

AP: Super Bowl XLIV, without a doubt. I know of two fans that are Dirty Birds, and they were cheering the Colts on. Of course we came back in the second half to win the Lombardi Trophy for the first time.

DM: What about the worse moment?

AP: The date was January 24th, 2012. The Saints were playing the 49ers that day. The Niners won 36-32 and broke my heart. That final drive with 90 seconds left to go with the Vernon Davis touchdown in the divisional round. Yeah, that’s the worse moment for me. Still hurts now even thinking about it….Thanks for that hahaha

DM: Do you think it’s possible to have a team in London?

AP: The question has been floated around by many in the UK. NFL forums and the British media has mentioned it for the past few years particularly. I attended a fan forum for UK NFL fans last week, and again this question surfaced with the panel answering for us. The NFL is a business. If the international series had not sold out every year, then we wouldn’t have had four games next season.

Since 2007, we went from one to four in 2017 because there is a strong fan base to support the game over here. Now, here is where it gets tricky. All 32 teams are supported here in the UK. If the NFL created more expansion teams with one in London, ask yourself how many of the UK fan base would ditch their current team to support the new team.

I for one will always be black and gold. So would there be a London team that would be supported? Yes! I think so BUT time will tell if people will support that team.

DM: Did you play any sports or your family?

AP: I played Rugby Union for 20 years. I’m 33 years old now. I packed it in when I was 29 due to injury, but I’d have loved to have a go at American football. I’d make a good fit at left or right tackle. My father was a rugby player as well. He then turned to refereeing and now is retired.

DM: Tell me about your charity that you’re involved with, and is there anything that is coming up that we can put out there to help get the word out?

AP: The Big Easy Mafia are always helping the community in N’awlins and the great state of Louisiana. They are currently doing great charitable work for Angels Place Inc. which is a non profit charity that provides respite care for families that have children with life threatening illnesses including Cancer. Angels Place Inc. has a Facebook page if you would like to know more and donate to such a worthy cause.

You can follow Ash Pimble on Twitter @NewportDragon83 and @UKchapterBEM