When Huw Davies was named the San Francisco 49ers 2024 International Fan of the Year, the team had no idea it would soon be headed to his home country.
Davies has been cheering on the 49ers long before the NFL announced its first-ever regular season game in Australia, with San Francisco set to make history by opening the 2026 season in Melbourne.
For Davies, who first fell in love with the team all the way in Tasmania more than 30 years ago, it's the kind of full-circle moment he never imagined.
"It's amazing," Davies said after being named the team's International Fan of the Year. "I'm speechless."
His story began in 1990 with a simple souvenir, a hat.
"When I was about 12, my dad went to America," Davies said. "He's got five kids, and he bought each of us a hat. I was lucky enough to get a 49ers hat."
Growing up in Tasmania, American football wasn't the most common sport around.
"There were no football teams or anything like this," Davies recalled. "I was like, 'Who's this team?'"
Determined to learn more, he began watching a weekly NFL highlights show that aired in Australia. Those brief broadcasts introduced him to one of the league's greatest dynasties.
"I found the 49ers, and Joe Montana, and Jerry Rice, and I was mesmerized," Davies said. "That was my first and favorite football team… It took my heart."
As NFL coverage slowly expanded in Australia, Davies remained committed to following the 49ers, even if it meant early morning wake-up calls to watch games live. And by 1996 at the age of 18, he knew he had to experience the 49ers in person.
When his parents planned a trip to the United States, Davies convinced them that San Francisco had to be on the itinerary.
"They were going to America on their own, and I was like, 'No, you're going to San Francisco. I've got to come,'" he said.
The trip included sightseeing around the city, but one event stood above everything else.
"We saw the sights of San Francisco, but the whole reason for being there was to go to the 49ers game," Davies said.
On October 20th 1996, Davies attended his first 49ers game at Candlestick Park alongside his younger brother. The two watched the 49ers have a dramatic comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
"It was quite the spectacle," Davies said.
When he returned home to Australia, Davies remained committed to growing football and 49ers fandom in his country. As a firefighter in Melbourne, he made sure 49ers games were on at the fire station and organized watch parties at local pubs, helping build a community of NFL fans along the way.
Nearly 30 years later, that life-long passion earned him one of the 49ers highest fan honors.
The surprise announcement included a congratulatory video from 49ers offensive lineman Dominick Puni as well as a trip from the 49ers to the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
"It's amazing to me that we have fans all the way from Australia," Puni said. "The fact that you're supporting from all the way out there means so much to me, my teammates, the coaches and everyone here."
Davies' emotional reaction said it all.
"Amazing," he said. "I'm speechless. Thank you."
Now, as San Francisco prepares to play the NFL's first regular season game on Australian soil in Week 1, they will play in front of one of the most dedicated international supporters, a fan whose journey began with one 49ers hat in Tasmania and grew into a lifetime of being a Faithful.
