I'm in as well too. That said, we have a bunch of people who are "in" and nothing else. Any people with some type of experience with this want to get the ball rolling so to speak? That's probably the hardest part. I'm ready and able to get involved...I just have no idea what I'm doing.
Follow jules' suggestions here. This is the best group of supporters. If you watched or heard anything about RSL you know how well their supporters came together.
Redundancy: The unnecessary and usually ineffective repetition of a word, phrase, clause, or idea. We can agree on something then. Seriously though, arrange to meet somewhere asap. Topics to discuss: - Name - Point man with the front office - Songs/chants - Where to sit your fat butts in your high school stadium - Website - Bar to watch games & meet up to discuss stuff (also place to drown sorrows regularly)
Damn grammar Nazi! It's not my fault my 42nd ranked Texas education left me...well, uneducated. Thanks for the help though. Let's put out the bat symbol and see what kind of response we can get...
All Houston fans: remember to change your favorite teams list on your profile to Houston MLS, MLS Houston, Houston, etc.
Thanks, SokkerNut. I am an RSL fan, but my first priority is seeing soccer succeed anywhere and everywhere in the USA. Somebody needs to just start a thread titled something like "Houston Supporters organizational meeting" to discuss when people are available, suggestions for location, etc. Since you obviously don't have a real leader yet, it doesn't matter who takes the initiative to start the thread. I would do it, but hey, I live in Utah, so... you know... it probably ought to be a Houston fan.
i posted this comment on another thread, what about the name, "The 1836 Battalion" as a supporter's group name.
I have spoken to the Big Johns Bar to see if they would let us come to thier place and have a meeting to for a supporter group. At this time it would be in every ones best intrest to meet as one rather than breaking off to several supporter groups. Anyone intrested can meet at Big John's sometime in the up coming week. The time and day would be pending. I would like to get a number together soon. Just post if you want to attend. BIG JOHNS is on Harwin. PLEASE RESPOND ONLY IF YOU ARE SERIOUS
It really is time for us to get things rolling in Houston. Most importantly, we need to get a group of people together who are committed to making this all work. People who are in it for the long haul and have already thrown down their deposit for season tickets. Having a huge supporters section on opening day would be fantastic, but there really isn't much of a point if only 5 people show up every match following. A venue needs to be set where the supporters can gather and organize. More than anything, we need to get names, email, contacts, and a web presence. This is a must. It is a must for recruitment and it is a must for interaction with the team's organization. The really good thing about all of this is that the league has been around long enough to understand the necessity of a supporters section and for the most part, we know what works and what doesn't. We need to make some phone calls and get a good central location that is soccer friendly to meet and discuss. Lets work from there.
I don't think there is actually a centralized location in Houston. So many of us live so far out in different areas because Houston is so spread out. I suggested having a couple of different meeting locations on different sides of Houston. That way some people who can't make it all the way out on the other side of Houston could maybe make it when it was on their side. As long as we announce location and time far enough in advance, I don't think it would be a bad idea. If we like this idea, people can start thinking of places that are near them and won't mind a crowd gathering at. Also, I totally agree with the website. Some place where we can have meeting times and locations and things we are currently doing all organized and in one place, not on a message board. I suck at website coding though, so someone would have to step up and volunteer to create and run the site. We can all pitch in for website fees. We will be getting names and contact info at the game Wednesday and then like I said, people can PM me their info if they won't be at the game.
I can help out with the web stuff. I guess the first thing would be to decide on the name of the group so an appropriate domain name can be registered.
Here's a suggestion. Maybe when you guys get up and running, you should try to advertise on the UH campus . . .create a similar atmoshpere that the "Bleacher Creatures" provide at UH football games. Maybe if you have a member that's also a student at UH, you can plaster tailgate ads and your supporters section activities all over campus . . .guerrilla marketing, plastering ads/posters around campus. Good luck.
I really do agree with this. Every time I've ever been to a MLS game, the supporters groups were filled with late 20s/30s/40s adults who had plenty of passion, but IMO, and maybe this is because I do fit into these demographics, drunk college age kids who are looking for a good time and a reason to BBQ/drink and be loud are a great scene too. I had a few groups of my friends go to some of the friendlies at the Cotton Bowl as well as the Pre-Copa matches at Robertson, we had a blast and got everyone in our section got up and got loud. We need to make sure we can somehow include the UH kids and Rice kids. They want to have fun and we need to market towards them.
The only problem with that being your target audience is that college students are usually broke. So they have to be REALLY dedicated to soccer to be buying season tickets, or even more than a few single tickets. They are definitely great for atmosphere, but you'll want to keep the group attractive to those who actually have jobs, too....
Hey, it works for us in Section 8. We have college kids, HS kids, blue collar, white collar, fathers, mothers, some kids from time to time, Communists, Liberals, Democrats, Fascists and even 4 or 5 Conservatives and/or Republicans (that inlcudes me, so maybe there or only 3 or 4 others ). You guys in Houston would do well to create a unique soccer experience for the team, something that also leaves an impression on the casual fan so the market can differentiate the sport and atmosphere from the usual "ball" sports in the city. Something similar to what's in Chicago, DC, Salt Lake and LA. Here in Chicago, Section 8 is a representation of several supporter groups (URS, FU98, BB, MDSC, etc) and a lot of independents just wanting to sing, chant, wave flags, raise banners and yes, tailgate/drink. I really hope you guys can get something similar accomplished down there. It really makes for a better atmosphere.
it would be great if we could get team officials to even designate a certain part of the stadium as the supporters group section (based on our input, of course) and even offer special ticket pricing. whenever i see DCU or Fire games, it's great to see all the supporter groups together...it makes for a great atmosphere.
Yeah that's what I was hoping for as well. I hope the FO really gets with the supporters group on this.
Are there any restrictions on tailgating at Robertson/U of H? If not, then a specified location to do so might be arranged (where all prospective new supporters can see and be seen) (a la the Inferno up in Dallas, at least when they were at the Cotton Bowl - I don't know about now, now that they are at PHP...) Or alternatively, a public establishment (bar, icehouse, etc.) where all can gather before (and after) the game, with the obligatory parade as we make our loud and noisy way over to the stadium (a la Timber's Army up in Portland.) Just tossing out ideas, as I've never actually been to Robertson before...
I think tailgating can happen anywhere in the parking lot on game days. There is a park like area just off the noth stands toward Scott Street. As far as meeting at a bar and marching to the stadium, the University Center on campus serves booze at the game room and it has a bar/cafe, then you can march and sing across campus towards the stadium. The UC Satellite also serves beer and the Hilton College Hotel on campus has a full blown hotel bar. Outside of that, I'm not up to date enough to tell you what off campus establishments, if any, are near the stadium. There weren't any when I was there . . . of course, John Jenkins was still the football coach when I graduated so you'll need more updated info I'm afraid. That's the only drawback beef up here in Chicago, there aren't any real close bars to the Bridgeview Bank Stadium. The area around the new stadium is very industrial.