My first memory of matchday in Paris back in 1998 when we played Germany is of all the drunk Germans I saw kicking bottles and staggering outside the stadium as I approached. My second memory is of walking out to my seats and witnessing the mass unfurling of banners for teams like TSV 1860 and Schalke. I was a relative newbie back then so it was an incredible sight for me. This time around I am bringing two banners to hang. The first is the Bruce Arena one depicted here. The second is one that we made in a garage with a canvas paint tarp, masking tape, and a couple cans of spray paint. It reads, simply, "1st Minnesota Volunteers." This is a call to all USA fans traveling to Germany to bring banners or make some while there. I don't know how hard it is to get materials in Germany, but the canvas and spray paint thing works well. You just spread the canvas out, mask off some letters, and spray. Stencils would also work. Figure something out. Let's do it.
Inspired by our East Coast brethren, we're picking up our first banner (4x6 SoCal Brigade) today. Now, how do you guys get to hang them? What equipment should we bring? We've heard cable ties, duct tape, etc. Is security a problem? Getting down to the front row, I mean. (I guess a group of banner people entering early like in home games here is out of the question.) Any tips appreciated.
that obey gooch one is sweet. is that one that is to the side of the ones pictured a play on the ramones logo? it looks like it - if so you should definitely bring that one! i am wondering whether i should represent DC United with my banner i made for them:
Ours are all hung using snaps. I sew straps to the tops of the banners before they're painted, install snaps with pliers, and then I don't have to mess around with zip ties or twine or any of that. Takes a little bit of extra time initially, but makes it so much easier to display, remove, and maintain them in the long run.
Ultra Peanut - my biggest failure was not getting some zaps (stickers) done. Save some for me! BTW, I love the Shephard Farey (Obey) banner. Very nice.
I'm not going to be able to bring any banners , but I'm bringing a 6x10 USA flag to hang up , and a couple 3x5's to hang up . Our sections are going to look awesome !
Yes and when will all the thousands of England, Germany and Holland fans realize that their clubs are not playing? Club AND Country
My dad made me a banner to take. It has the US flag in the background and a soccer player (in black) painted on top.
I have a reltively small USA flag with "Kansas City" written across the middle of it, stl george's style. I may try and make a bigger one before leaving....tomorrow.
Cool as it seems, you'll probably offend quite a few people by writing on the flag. It's kind of against etiquette with our flag, unlike other countries.
Great pics, this is going to be awesome. Please -do- bring your club banners. The greatest thing about America is our diversity. I want to see banners for the Aurora, Illinois chapter of the Subbuteo Club of America, the Des Moines Menace Supporters, as well as the New Mexico Gecko Spotters' Club and the Alaska Inuit Snowmobiler's Association. Let's do it. For hanging them, I think the snaps are a great idea. What I've been doing is buying packs of eyelets that you can hammer in with a ball peen hammer and then you use straps of velcro to hang them. I will be bringing a roll of velcro so I should have extra if anyone needs it. Just bring a banner. Twine also works. We'll work it out. Bring banners. Tell your friends back home to watch for your banner on TV. We will own the stadiums.
Oh yeah, and flags -are- banners so bring those too. And don't worry about an image on top of the flag. I see people dragging flags on the ground all the time and bunching them up and throwing them in their trunk. You're supposed to burn them if they touch the ground and you're supposed to fold them into a triangle and so on. Someone puts an image on top of it or alters the design a little and people get all worked up. Don't get hung up on the symbolism. Bring a flag and hang it in the stadium, that's what's important.
thats what i say . my flag had to touch the ground when I was putting grommets in it , but I'm doing it for the US and out of patriotism . I think we can let it slide .
Bring it, screw the geeks who pull the 'country over club' card. And besides, it says 'United' on it. It's not like someone's going to mistake it for a Czech, Italian, or Ghanaian banner. It has to do with the US. Representing Ben Olsen. And besides all that, it looks pretty bad ass. Country over club dorks, eat a dick.
I don't know about anyone else who's making banners, but I'd be mighty irritated to see a banner that has ******** all to do with the national team taking up railing space that could be used to display ones that are actually meant to stand for the national team. You want to represent for Olsen? Cool--make one with him in a national jersey. You want to represent your MLS/USL/college/AYSO/rec league side? Make a US-related one like the Sam's Army New England Brigade that's in my suitcase. All those "YOUR MOM F.C." banners from the English crowds still have the St. George as the most recognizable element, with the club name secondary. Make a US banner with whatever shoutout to whatever player or team you want, but make it US above all.
If finding space for all US banners were a problem, I would completely agree with you. But any banner, even if remotely related to something US-soccer wise would be preferable to nothing at all. And let's face it, as great as your banners are and some of the others ones are, we aren't exactly England or Germany when it comes to filling all the space with visuals. I highly doubt that there will be any trouble accomodating everything that needs to be put up... What I can't stand is the high and mighty crap that some people choose to convey on here. If the guy wants to bring his United banner, let him bring it. It's a nice looking, intimidating image, and bloody hell, it's got half the name of our national team in it. So what, if the meaning's a little misplaced? No one is going to mistake it for the other team.