I talked to Cooper. He wants us to let him know where we want to sit and they will work with us. Here is the chart: Please, make a suggestion but also please give an explanation as to why you think it would be good. Let's give it some time for suggestions to come in and then we will vote.
Eads Brigade section 4 aka VIP!!! I would have to say sections 12-13 or 16-17 to start. Then if they expand the stadium as planned maybe move to behind a goal. Leave the Premium and VIP side alone so the club can make money off those seats. Also the tv camreas are on the VIP side (West) pointing towards the club side (East), so the group would get more exposure on tv if we were in club seats.
Maybe I'm biased from already being there for Laclede's Army, but I really like section 20. It's as close to "goal line" as we can get for now, and the corners are what TV cameras see the most (when they're here).
I have to say that I'm leaning towards 3,4, or 5 (Group Reserve) if the club would let us do that. Perfect viewing perfect to be viewed Unique in the US as not many supporters clubs get center. Plenty of banner area.
I'd like to post my thoughts on seating. I see no way that the club would give up high priced seats for supporter groups. Though not the best seats in the house, section 20 (part of 19 as overflow) is workable for a few reasons: Considering SG's stand most of the game, it does not block the view of the pitch for anyone in another stand. If your sitting and the entire stand next to you is standing, you have to stand yourself or gooseneck alot to see the play. There would be casual fans that would find this irritating. Throw in flags and banners waving and it'd be worse. Loud chanting and drums....20 kind of isolates you from the rest of the viewing public. There are plenty of fans that will/would complain about the noise if your smack dab in the middle of them. I heard a few grumbles last year from ppl outside the Barracks about the drums when we moved to the border of 19/18. Add in occasional language and it creates more issues. There will be plenty of youth groups attending at times and would be in those group reserved sections (13/15 for instance if you took 14). SG seats are almost always some of the cheapest in cost. And this helps membership over time. Ppl that are cash strapped are most likely to buy several 12 dollar tickets for the season vs. say 30 dollar tickets. A united decision between the Army and Brigade leadership on seating allows the FO to label the Barracks seating as specific for future ticket reasons and various banners or other ideas that would be easier implemented in one location. Though the groups/teams are different, just like the team, it's a shared resource value. These thoughts are obviously sound centered on the FO and casual fan concerns. Taking these into account limits complaints or problems down the road with the FO. And the BEST reason! It's closer to the beer tent.
I'm not disagreeing with many of your points. But for the record, 3,4, and 5 are listed as $13 and 20 is listed as $11.
I think you mean 13, 14, and 15, right? The darker blue sections? 3 and 5 are Premium sections ($30) and 4 is VIP ($60).
You are correct sir. The copy is so bad that I didn't notice the row of 1's. Yes - I'd like 13, 14, or 15. My bad.
Yeah, it's weird that the two digits are on different lines. I actually checked the hard copy of that diagram that they gave out at the press conference to be sure.
I like the idea of Sec 20. It puts us in a section that isnt prime seating, obviously they would not want that, and it gives us a chance to expand to behind a goal if the stadium ever expands. Im just excited that we finally have a team!
For how small soccer park is, everywhere is prime seating. Anyways, I have the same feelings as you. I want seats behind the goal when the stadium is expanded.
If I may make an observation.... ....it seems well over half of the votes so far (here at least) are for section 20. ^.^
AC StLouis announcement on facebook has a link to "online ticket opportunity for opening day". I clicked on Sec 20 and it lists for $12. Have we decided that is where we are sitting? Is Cooper going to give us a better discount then $12 for our section?
I hope that ACSTL gives the Brigade a password like they did for Laclede's Army - somewhere on the site we could type in the password and get $1 off each individual ticket. I'm buying tix for section 20 anyway since that's what I'm used to. And, to be quite honest, I've never seem the officials move people to the section they're "supposed" to be in. Then again, I've always been with the Army, and never on the grandstand side of the field. (I think the G/A's everywhere stand for General Admission.)
I've got tickets to the premium seats for Athletica's opening match (introducing the wife to the game proper instead of FSC and FIFA video games ). With ACSTL I think I'd also vote for Sec. 20. Seems appropriate what with Laclede's being there. I'm just beyond excited, so we can sit wherever. As soon as someone makes an "official" statement then my tickets shall be purchased.
Don't know if anyone is following the "United Knights"...they're a "Group" on Facebook. It is a Group started by Bosnians (but open to all who want to join, English will be their official meetings language). They plan to come out cheering European style (cool!) at AC-STL games. I think it's great that they're going to be doing this and embracing St. Louis as home and as their club too! Because it is ALL of our club. They, however, are going through the exact process as Eads Brigade...discussing which section the fans want to sit in. I don't know if it would be better to have one group take section 8 and the other section 20...Just trying to picture how it will all work out if both groups want section 20 (which seems like the going trend). If so, it seems like the team will need to sell tickets even more specifically than just "section" to make sure the Eads Brigade fans can be together and that the United Knights fans can be together and avoid the groups from being all scattered up in pieces. Anyway, it all sounds like exciting stuff. If you look at some of the United Knights' video on their page they have online - if they bring that kind of atmosphere to the STL matches, it should be awesome....especially if "Eads Brigade" can bring equal or more passion to the matches. Can't wait!!!
It depends on how the groups want to act. In Columbus, all the different SGs sit (more or less) happily together in the Nordecke. For the Athletica, though, Laclede's Army and Verde Azul had very different MOs, so it was good that Verde Azul choose section 8/under the scoreboard. Heh heh, I don't think you need to worry about that. NONE of the "seats" at Soccer Park are marked/numbered/etc., even in the grandstand area. Granted, seating is more carefully patrolled along midfield in the grandstands, but otherwise there are no assigned seats (or even assigned sections, really - at least I've never heard of officials telling people to move from one General Admission section to the one on their ticket). If we both end up in section 20, we'll be able to shuffle around to get into our respective groups - that is, if we don't want to mix in the first place. =-)
I'm all for anyone putting together an honest supporters group, and the United Knights clearly have their game together. That said, I dont "encourage" togetherness of groups anymore than I feel there needs to be any kind of rivalry. I'm all for a few or 10 pints and rooting loudly. Some prefer drums and making it look like a scene from South America. It's your own preference. I remember when Ken asked what the nationality of my group was, it left me quite puzzled (then I came across the UK and it made sense). Not that I consider my ragtag group of drunkards to be any kind of official club--I leave that to Eads and Lacledes--but seeing as how it's all pretty much GA, I say sit with whoever you want. Personally myself and some others in RCS will be in Sec. 20 with most of you fine folks here and Eads.
My wife got me season tickets, but they left it up to me to pick the section. So as soon as we get it hammered out I can contact Brad.