ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As the Buffalo Bills prepare to close out the regular season, some backups are set to get some major playing time. Getting the call to the show, proverbially, comes with a lot of excitement.
“I just moved from Pakistan. I have applied for asylum, political asylum,” said Munwara Sultana from behind a sewing machine in January 2023.
A reserve seamstress at Stitch Buffalo and one of the hearts behind the now iconic Water Buffalo Club hats, she’s been a welcome member of the Bills Mafia for some time now.
“It was three years in the making, and here we are with three women that didn’t even know who the Buffalo Bills were three years ago,” said Therese Forton-Banres, Grand Poobah of the Water Buffalo Club. “Now they’re at their first NFL Buffalo Bills game.”
An exciting first trip put together by Forton-Banres and company, a fascination with the headwear that came full circle.
“It is a pride that everybody is wearing these hats,” said Sultana. “Actually, everybody knows us, that these are the women who made the hats, so we are literally feeling (like) celebrities now.”
A first in-person experience at Highmark Stadium comes with some things to understand about gamedays.
“We saw one table that had already been crushed,” said Forton-Barnes. “I showed it to them and they had no idea what it was and couldn’t understand that concept.”
“In Pakistan, we are crazy about cricket. And here, it’s just like they are crazy about it,” said Sultana. “But now I have after seeing the Bill fans? I totally get it.”
A new appreciation for the community she and her fellow former refugees have joined.
“Just seeing the looks on their faces and all of them had their cameras out - I’m getting chills just thinking about it,” said Forton-Banres. “I’m so used to that, but having them look around, mesmerized by the field, the players starting to come out. It was really a cool moment.”
The love was reciprocated with every play on the field and stitch in the fur.
“I came here three years ago, and it was instant connection,” said Sultana. “I don’t have a family here, but people here are so loving. And this is my family. And I love this place. I’m never going to leave it.”
The Bills capped off the holidays by securing the No. 2 seed in the playoffs on the back of a route, but Munwara has learned over the years what else to look forward to.
“We are praying for the Super Bowl,” she said.