MetroNation Renamed

aesthetic version here


April 5, 2006

Dear Loyal Soccer Enthusiasts,

Since the publication of our Initial Position Statement on March 10, 2006 (updated March 20 on NyNjSoccer.com), MetroNation has engaged in weeks of intense, impassioned debate and contemplation within its membership; and formally met with the Red Bull Front Office (RBFO) to share our concerns about the impact of the ownership transition on our burgeoning fan club. Throughout these meetings and debates, the answers to critical questions (i.e., How do we “rebrand” ourselves, if at all? How will our Mission and Vision Statements change, if at all?) have been referred to votes by our members (a.k.a., “Nationals”). Consequently, the Trustees of our nonprofit New Jersey Corporation, who have coordinated the voting process and voted themselves, have been influenced solely by the resulting vote statistics and qualitative feedback from the voters.

The theme of team loyalty and support conveyed in our March 10 statement has been our guiding influence. Like most of you outside our organization, we are also disinterested in blatant product promotion, excepting the “brand” of New York Red Bulls (NYRB) soccer. Our focus is and always will be THE TEAM, which has entered a new era. For us, the definition of team is more than merely the color or design of a uniform; or name of an owner. Rather, the PLAYERS are collectively the NYRB team. Those returning familiar faces (i.e., Djorkaeff, Guevara, Lisi, Magee, Mendes, Meola, Parke, and Stammler) and newly signed faces (i.e., before the March 9, 2006 transition announcement) are ALL former MetroStars. Importantly, we will also welcome and support those who follow in their footsteps, proudly playing for the NYRB colors, from this day forward.

To embrace this new era as an organization, the largest percentage of current MetroNation nationals have voted to rename our club as “RagingBullNation; The Proud and Passionate 12th Man of the ‘Raging Reds’TM; a Fan Club for the New York Red Bulls” (www.RagingBullNation.net). This is a very significant milestone for an organization barely more than a year old. This new name for our organization will help show our solidarity with the players, and collectively the team, as they write new pages to the MLS history book during their annual quest for The Cup. Ultimately, this is about relationships—between the fans, players, coaches, staff, media, soccer community, etc. Going forward as an independently governed and operated but collaborative organization, it is our commitment to preserve and build upon these relationships, which we have worked so hard to cultivate, especially with the players and coaches.

Furthermore, the decision to rename ourselves does not mean we are disregarding or disrespecting our MetroStars roots. Remember, we all began as MetroStars fans. As our organization works cohesively to advance our subsequent “rebranding,” we plan to acknowledge this history symbolically. Thus, we respect the past, embrace the present, and look to the future, in support of our team, the New York Red Bulls . . . and the future looks quite bright to us!

We will update you as we reach certain milestones in this gradual and important process we have undertaken. An easy way to stay abreast of our activities and events is to sign up for our e-mail updates on our web site.

In the interim, we hope you enjoy our partially redesigned web site, which we will work towards completing soon. Visit us on the web and enjoy what our Webmaster has created for us and you. Your constructive feedback is welcome. Lastly, we especially thank all our Nationals for their valuable heartfelt input, patience, and encouragement. We ask for all of your continued support and understanding.

Sincerely Yours in the Raging Bull,

Marc P. Bernarducci
Chief Officer, RagingBullNation