Empire Supporters Club
10 Dec 2004, 05:40 PM
Metro fans,
Another Metro off season has begun, and while Coach Bradley and the Metrostars look to reshape the team for battle in 2005, it is time to turn the focus to ourselves to work on giving our team the best support we can.
There are a number of items on our agenda for the off season, and as the club exists solely on the backs of the work done by it's members, this year we will reach out and ask for your help in making 2005 a great year for our club.
Membership
The first step, as always, is to become a member of the ESC for 2005. We will have a membership drive in late January/early February, and we look forward to seeing you then. The plans are still in the works, and we will keep you updated on our progress. If you cannot make it to the event, in early January you will be able to check our web site for details on registering by mail. Each membership packet for 2005 will include a membership card, an updated ESC mission statement, 10 ESC postcards to pass out to your (soccer) friends about our club, and letters that you can send to the media and soccer organizations to help get your voice heard.
Commitment to Growth
The second step is to grow the ESC. For 9 years we have been the sole voice of the hardcore Metrostars fan. We have been to games home and away, in good times and bad, and stood by our team showing passionate support. In year 10, that no longer becomes good enough. We have to commit ourselves to working harder to find and develop those fans that believe in the style of passionate support of the players that is the goal of our club. From passing out flyers to making banners to having an ESC table at Metro home games, it is imperative that we look to become larger and louder in '05.
The "Other" Supporter's Club
The Metrostars front office and a separate group of fans have begun plans to start a second supporters club. To debunk a few myths, the second supporters club is run by fans, not by front office employees. Additionally, it was started to give Metro fans an additional outlet of support, not to as a way for the front office to end the ESC. We have talked, and will continue to talk, to the front office about ways that MFO can help the ESC become a larger, louder and more passionate club. We have expressed the opinion that- as always- their actions speak louder than words, and that we expect more and better support from the front office in the future, not less, just as we should expect more and better of ourselves.
Does it hurt the ESC? Truthfully, only if we let it.
We have the opportunity to take this as a challenge to work harder and sing louder than ever before. We also have the opportunity to point fingers, make excuses and let it degenerate into an arms race about which club has more than 50% of the backseat. The ESC has the advantage of being larger, more organized and more established. Let's use that advantage to become a great supporters club. We do not exist to show blind allegiance to a corporate organization, but to show passionate support to the 11 guys on the field, and their coach. We became ESC members to be a part of supporting the team as a group in a way we never could by ourselves. It is the shirt that matters, and it is time to get back to business.
Letting our Voices be Heard
The effectiveness of our front office is based on three items: on-field performance, building a stadium and improving the atmosphere of home games. By any measure, 2004 was a disappointing season. Finishing the season a game under .500, the off-again, on-again, off-again stadium situation and the seemingly stagnant numbers of actual butts in seats combined to make this year one that did not live up to expectations. We are working on a meeting where members can show up, ask honest questions and get answers first hand about the current and future state of the Metrostars. We will keep you posted on the progress of these plans as they develop.
The ESC- Team Relationship
One of the items of concern of late has been the distance between the players and the supporters club. While we stand up and sing for them from our perch in 101, the turnover in the last 3 years has created a team of players that we don't know well, and that don't know us. We began working to change that in September of this year, and will continue to try to develop an environment where the players know they have our support, and can feel comfortable celebrating their triumphs and suffering their setbacks together with the supporters club. The club exists to support the team, nothing more.
As a symbol of our support, we've purchased a giant Metro flag for 2005, large enough to cover much of our section. How about a flag large enough that it covers 3 sections? You can help make it happen. From writing content for our web site to making banners to helping out on game day, there is a lot of work to be done. Please e-mail us at empiresc@verizon.net if you are interested in getting involved.
So, it's up to you, our members. We ask for your support in making 2005 a great year.
Another Metro off season has begun, and while Coach Bradley and the Metrostars look to reshape the team for battle in 2005, it is time to turn the focus to ourselves to work on giving our team the best support we can.
There are a number of items on our agenda for the off season, and as the club exists solely on the backs of the work done by it's members, this year we will reach out and ask for your help in making 2005 a great year for our club.
Membership
The first step, as always, is to become a member of the ESC for 2005. We will have a membership drive in late January/early February, and we look forward to seeing you then. The plans are still in the works, and we will keep you updated on our progress. If you cannot make it to the event, in early January you will be able to check our web site for details on registering by mail. Each membership packet for 2005 will include a membership card, an updated ESC mission statement, 10 ESC postcards to pass out to your (soccer) friends about our club, and letters that you can send to the media and soccer organizations to help get your voice heard.
Commitment to Growth
The second step is to grow the ESC. For 9 years we have been the sole voice of the hardcore Metrostars fan. We have been to games home and away, in good times and bad, and stood by our team showing passionate support. In year 10, that no longer becomes good enough. We have to commit ourselves to working harder to find and develop those fans that believe in the style of passionate support of the players that is the goal of our club. From passing out flyers to making banners to having an ESC table at Metro home games, it is imperative that we look to become larger and louder in '05.
The "Other" Supporter's Club
The Metrostars front office and a separate group of fans have begun plans to start a second supporters club. To debunk a few myths, the second supporters club is run by fans, not by front office employees. Additionally, it was started to give Metro fans an additional outlet of support, not to as a way for the front office to end the ESC. We have talked, and will continue to talk, to the front office about ways that MFO can help the ESC become a larger, louder and more passionate club. We have expressed the opinion that- as always- their actions speak louder than words, and that we expect more and better support from the front office in the future, not less, just as we should expect more and better of ourselves.
Does it hurt the ESC? Truthfully, only if we let it.
We have the opportunity to take this as a challenge to work harder and sing louder than ever before. We also have the opportunity to point fingers, make excuses and let it degenerate into an arms race about which club has more than 50% of the backseat. The ESC has the advantage of being larger, more organized and more established. Let's use that advantage to become a great supporters club. We do not exist to show blind allegiance to a corporate organization, but to show passionate support to the 11 guys on the field, and their coach. We became ESC members to be a part of supporting the team as a group in a way we never could by ourselves. It is the shirt that matters, and it is time to get back to business.
Letting our Voices be Heard
The effectiveness of our front office is based on three items: on-field performance, building a stadium and improving the atmosphere of home games. By any measure, 2004 was a disappointing season. Finishing the season a game under .500, the off-again, on-again, off-again stadium situation and the seemingly stagnant numbers of actual butts in seats combined to make this year one that did not live up to expectations. We are working on a meeting where members can show up, ask honest questions and get answers first hand about the current and future state of the Metrostars. We will keep you posted on the progress of these plans as they develop.
The ESC- Team Relationship
One of the items of concern of late has been the distance between the players and the supporters club. While we stand up and sing for them from our perch in 101, the turnover in the last 3 years has created a team of players that we don't know well, and that don't know us. We began working to change that in September of this year, and will continue to try to develop an environment where the players know they have our support, and can feel comfortable celebrating their triumphs and suffering their setbacks together with the supporters club. The club exists to support the team, nothing more.
As a symbol of our support, we've purchased a giant Metro flag for 2005, large enough to cover much of our section. How about a flag large enough that it covers 3 sections? You can help make it happen. From writing content for our web site to making banners to helping out on game day, there is a lot of work to be done. Please e-mail us at empiresc@verizon.net if you are interested in getting involved.
So, it's up to you, our members. We ask for your support in making 2005 a great year.