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49ers Faithful start LA invasion ahead of NFC title game with Rams

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Published  January 28, 2022 6:35pm PST
San Francisco 49ers
KTVU FOX 2

SF 49ers fans planning SoCal invasion ahead of playoff game with Rams

Flights from San Francisco to Los Angeles were crowded Friday as multitudes of 49ers fans flew south for the NFC championship game against the Rams on Sunday. KTVU's Ann Rubin reports..

SAN FRANCISCO - The 49er Faithful are on the move.

Flights from SFO to LAX are packed with red and gold.

"The minute Gould kicked that field goal we got on and started buying tickets and booking reservations. Really excited to be there and support the team," says 49er fan Kenneth Washington.

"So excited, more so because we're going to take over their house. And they tried to block us! We found a way. So it's going to be awesome," says fan Cecilia Washington.

The Rams attempt to limit ticket sales to 49er fans was short lived.

And it now appears, San Francisco 49er fans may outnumber Rams fans in their own stadium.

That's according to Vivid Seats, which has a proprietary algorithm called Fan Forecast.

"So we know 49er fans will be traveling from NorCal but there are a lot of 49er fans that are in the Rams backyard, so our data is projecting that roughly 65% of the crowd will be wearing red and rooting for the 49ers on Sunday," says Stephen Spiewak of Vivid Seats.

Packing 65% of the stands would be an even stronger showing than at the Week 18 game, which was also full of the Faithful.

Fans are hoping to turn SoFi Stadium into Levi's South.

"And i think the energy level the Niners fans bring, especially when we're at away games, We bring it. We bring it. We turn it into our house," says Washington.

To keep that energy up, United Airlines has planned a pep rally at SFO Saturday morning, something they've done before other important Niners road games.

They'll also hand out swag for fans to take on their flights.

"We have Sourdough Sam coming out. We have the Niners drum line that will be here as well. And the goal is to recreate the stadium feeling... to get customers excited as they're heading down to la to cheer on the team," says Maddie King, United spokesperson.

Also Saturday, the 49ers are hosting what they call the Los Angeles Invasion, a fan event at Tom's Watch Bar Los Angeles.

It's a chance for the 49er family to find each other before game day.

"We give that energy and they take it. And Deebo will run with it. And Jimmy will throw some touchdowns... and we'll get this victory down there for sure," says Kenneth Washington.

 Fans aren't the only ones heading out. The team flies Friday evening out of San Jose's airport. The pep rally here at SFO starts at 9:30 tomorrow morning, but it's at the gates so you'll need to be traveling to see it.