SHE’S conquered the world of music and now Taylor Swift is entering a new phase . . . her Sporting Era.
The music phenomenon held a massive bash to celebrate the end of her record-breaking Eras World Tour — inviting the creme de la creme of US sport.
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During the VIP bash in Kansas City, the 35-year-old chart-topper unveiled her new girl squad, swapping former besties Cara Delevingne and Ellie Goulding for a new posse of elite NFL Wags.
As well as cosying up with her American footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce, Taylor was flanked by Brittany Mahomes and Lyndsay Bell.
Brittany, 29, is a former soccer player and co-founder of US women’s team Kansas City Current.
She has been married to Travis’s Kansas City Chiefs team-mate and NFL legend Patrick Mahomes since 2022.
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Meanwhile, Lyndsay, 33, is the wife of another of Travis’s teammates, gridiron tight end Blake Bell.
Also showing how Taylor is fast becoming the queen of US sports as well as music, even a Kansas City Chiefs physical therapist was invited to the exclusive bash as well as former NFL player Ross Travis, who previously played with Kelce.
Taking to Instagram, Ross shared a string of snaps from the evening, writing: “Eras complete, congrats Tay!’
In one snap Taylor, who was wearing a £3,000 black mini dress from Balmain, can be seen clutching a mic and wearing sunglasses.
Her boyfriend is dressed in the tailcoat and white shirt he wore when he surprised Taylor on stage while posing as a dancer at Wembley Stadium this summer.
‘Taylor was welcomed into the sporting world’
A source said: “The party was organised by Travis as a surprise for Taylor.
“All of her Eras Tour dancers were there as well as some of her closest friends.
“Taylor suspected something was up because Travis was acting coy when he said about them going out for the evening, but the size of the bash caught her off guard.
“She was totally overjoyed.”
The Sun understands that Taylor, Lyndsay and Brittany crossed paths after the singer started dating Travis in the summer of 2023.
But over the past 12 months in particular, their bond has strengthened as Taylor has been regularly jetting across the world to cheer on her man in the exclusive friends-and-family box at his games.
A source said: “Looking at the guest list to her party, there is no doubt Taylor has been welcomed into the sporting world with open arms.
“When she and Travis first started dating, no one quite knew how things would pan out — and certainly her attendance at games was met with some mixed reviews.
“Whatever the man on the street feels about Taylor fever gripping the NFL, it’s clear that those at the top of the industry could not be happier to have her with them.
“Unsurprisingly, like the rest of the world, they have fallen in love with Taylor.
“Her new-look squad will no doubt be with her throughout 2025 and her next era.”
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Taylor’s upcoming 12th album is expected to focus on her falling for Travis, with a number of tracks on her latest record, The Tortured Poets Department, already dedicated to the sportsman.
Taylor previously admitted she was aware, but nonplussed, by the backlash she had received for cheering on Travis at NFL matches, prompting broadcasters to repeatedly show her on the giant stadium screen at games.
The Fortnight singer said: “I’m just there to support Travis.
“I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and p***ing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”
Taylor’s original girl squad was formed in 2014 around the time of the release of her chart-topping album 1989.
Actresses Emma Stone and Hailee Steinfeld were part of the squad, as were singers Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding and models Gigi Hadid and Cara Delevingne.
Many of the group appeared on her sold-out 1989 World Tour as special guests.
When she and Travis first started dating, no one quite knew how things would pan out — and certainly her attendance at games was met with some mixed reviews
A source
They also made sexy cameos in the music video alongside Taylor for her savage track Bad Blood.
The song, which peaked at No4 when it came out in 2015, is widely said to be a take-down of Katy Perry after the Firework singer fell out with Taylor in a row over dancers.
The pair have since buried the hatchet — with Katy going on to make a cameo in the vid for Taylor’s 2019 track You Need To Calm Down.
Taylor has previously told how she formed her initial squad as a reaction to struggling to make friends while growing up and being picked on.
She said: “Even as an adult, I still have recurring flashbacks of sitting at school lunch tables alone or hiding in a bathroom stall, or trying to make a new friend and being laughed at.
“In my twenties, I found myself surrounded by girls who wanted to be my friend.
“So I shouted it from the rooftops, posted pictures and celebrated my newfound acceptance into a sisterhood, without realising that other people might still feel the way I did when I felt so alone.
“It’s important to address our long-standing issues before we turn into the living embodiment of them.”
Taylor has been making the most of her time off ever since wrapping her 152-date Eras World Tour in Vancouver, Canada earlier this month.
Hours before celebrating her 35th birthday last Friday, she made an unplanned stop at the Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
The Look What You Made Me Do singer spent time there with sick children and their families.
Taylor brought them gifts, including copies of her sold-out Eras Tour book, as well as signed items.
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Well and truly back in the driving seat
During the visit, one little girl told Taylor she was hoping for a Dyson Airwrap which costs about £400. Hours later it appeared as a gift.
Taylor’s trip was kept so secret that one Swiftie mum of a young patient was left racing from work to the hospital to try to meet her idol.
The big-hearted star is now set to enjoy a well-earned break over the festive period before awards season next summer.
Her album The Tortured Poets Department is set to dominate at next year’s Grammy Awards and the Brits.
The album is about the breakdown of her six-year romance with Kent-born actor Joe Alwyn and her rebound fling with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
Taylor is also set to release her final two re-recorded albums — 2017’s Reputation and her self-titled 2009 record.
The singer has been releasing Taylor’s Version issues of her first six releaeses after the rights to her masters — and her own work — was sold from under her in 2020.
Now she is well and truly back in the driving seat as fans around the world hold their breath to see what is coming next.
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