I just thought I'd start a thread to discuss plans for the Fire's first round playoff game at Soldier Field. I'd like to start by saying that the Tifa looked incredible for the first game back But the second game, although it was on a larger scale, had less of a visual impact. I think this was due in part to the banners being too long. They seem to be harder to keep organized. Would it be more expensive to have two sets of banners the length of the ones from the first game? I think the upper and lower decks looking like the first game would be a striking image I'm able to give $100, maybe more, to whoever is organizing this stuff. Anyways, I just wanted to share some ideas.
I can donate cash and ideas. The cash should be good, the ideas, well, I like 'em but I can't really vouch for them. Table rolls: let's try sideways because I've never seen it anywhere. They'll be more concentrated and look more like a solid block rather than stripes. Fans: I still say we get a 'leader' in the middle of each row, every five rows, to lead the cheering. Someone has to be willing to put their back to the match for long periods of time (although now there is a TV screen to help you follow the game.) Smoke: I say we try behind the drums. It'll be higher and more visible from the field and from the other stands.
Also, what are the rules regarding small fireworks like sparklers? They seem small enough that they wouldn't be dangerous, but they do send out sparks which might not be cool with stadium management. I think they create a nice effect, and could be something to think about incorporating in the future. Provided of course that security aproves.
It was done in Columbus for the US-Mexico qualifier. They were spread over 3 sections in the North End and formed an American flag. It looked amazing. I know there are pictures of it floating around somewhere... The city of Chicago flag would look good with horizontal rolls...you'd just have to figure out a way to make the stars...
If we can bring them in, we really really should. That 'V' is really cool. We've got most of 4 sections and we could easily spell out 'FIRE' with some of those jumbo sparklers. I've been told that the sections hold 296 people. Does anyone know the exact layout of the seats? How many rows and how many seats per row? We could graph out which seats get a sparkler and do it for the playoffs.
Sparklers will not be allowed. I can tell you that already. It was discussed in the meetings leading up to our return. I know it's silly but there it is. We already have a couple of those displays with the big cards (whatever you call that) mapped out seat to seat. It's just a matter of getting the resources together to make the stuff. That will look nice if/when we get it done. There will be other things in the works as well. Liam had already suggested getting perminant cloth banners for the table roll effect in the lower sections. Perhaps we could make these AND use the table rolls going up in the upper sections when the crowd is large enough. That would work. The main thing is to get more people involved with planning and execution. Last winter we had a huge group of 5 (that's sarcasm) that got together to prepare stuff for this year. We should be able to do much better in the offseason for next year.
Something new will be happening hopefully on the 9th. It's been in the planning stages for a while now.
They actually were the smae length. We just went further with them in the second game, and as a result incorporated sections unfamiliar with the concept. If we were to do it again, better organisation at the upper levels would be a factor. Not really any point doing that, you can accomplish the same effect with one set as they are plenty long enough. We also still have leftover rolls too. I would suggest saving money untill we can buy some cloth rolls, I was thinking 2yd x 30yd rolls, 4 red and 2 white and installing them scroll-style on PVC piping for easy unrolling and storage. Probably will cost 400 or 500 bucks. There is also the matter of the mosaic, and while I still want to do it, I wonder if it'll really work because people don't stand at every seat in section 8 and that is required to make this come off. Also, no pyro please. We're hoping to coordinate something with the SFX crew for next season and any goodwill will be lost if some jerk brings in a flare and spoils it for everyone.
Sparklers Hello. This is actually my first post on these boards. I don't know why I felt compelled to say that but please... be gentle. Anyway, regarding sparklers - if you could get a decent deal on pen lights - and you might be able to get'em in bulk for around $.50 apeice - you might be able to acheive a similar effect. I, unfortunately, will not be able to see it, as I have to move to NY in a couple of weeks. But I figured I'd throw out some unsolicited advice.
Hm, pen lights. Good idea. Or those small flashlights with the fiber optics attached to them? Well, this one is in the form of a ring, but similar idea.
ooooooo - aaaaah A whole bunch of those would make for an awesome display... and there's an added bonus for a flashlight-type scenario, now that I think about it, in that you could focus the direction of the lights and move it around the stadium at different sections or whatever. ... ...Dammit am I going to miss Fire games.
I have found red glow sticks and they look good in the dark. Don't know how good they'd be with all of the stadium lights, but I bet they'd look great scattered all over the field in Columbus. I mean, we could do the glow sticks in NSF. They're about $1 a piece, but a massive order might lower the price.
At home I have a catalog of a company that makes very cheap led flashlights that last for about 24 hours. They are designed to be turned on permanently and hang around the neck. I will check and see how much this idea may run, but they come in different colors and shouldn't be that expensive. The only problem with this sort of thing is convincing The Powers That Be to turn off the lights for a bit, as any flashlights that are going to be held up are not going to be very bright, especially when compared to the field. That's why sparklers work so well, they put out a massive amount of light.
Greddy, The problem is that you are relying on photographs. The one taken during the re-opener was taken at a perfect time. The second one was taken when the table rolls were unfurled for quite some time already and most people just put them down or to the side. The display was much better during the second game but we just have not (yet, hopefully) seen a good photograph of it. I assure you that what we displayed during the match against Colorado was world class. We doubled the number of table rolls and covered twice the area compared to the first time. The display was very tight and organized. The initial idea was to cover the 4 lower sections of Section 8. It worked almost perfectly for about 30 seconds. The rolls going up into the upper sections was a spontaneous occurence. It happened when the lower sections virtually ended the display already. This is what can be seen in the photograph you are presenting. Additionally, there is no photograph of us throwing the streamers. I really would like to see both the moment when we threw the streamers and table rolls in an organized matter in the lower 4 sections plus the concourse caught in a picture frame. I really wish somebody posted these photos here soon.