So, it sounds like the MLS FO may drop the ball on a very importand aspect. There is a rumor that there will be no GA seating in all of Qwest once MLS comes to town. Anybody that knows anything about soccer should understand how this will limit the growth of a vocal supporters section. The area that we (the ECS) are asking to be GA are some of the worst seats in the house (122, right behind the south goal). I know that many of you are not interested in being a part of the standing supporters group, but you should be all for us having a place to "do our thing". Please join our cause and anytime you talk to an MLS Seattle person, please let them know that making 122 GA would be the best bet for everyone, not just the ECS. Thanks...
I am completely shocked at this revelation. All I can say is that I desperately hope this is not true.
No G.A. means the supporters section is pretty much DOA as far as growth is concerned. No matter what happens outside the park. This is seriously ********ED UP. Not to mention if we end up mixed in with a bunch of ppl who don't like what supporters groups/ultras do and we spend the entire first season in mediation sessions with the suck-urity and the "innocent bystanders". What a mess... the decision maker(s) here haven't a clue
This will require much of the 'growth' and organization of supporters groups to happen BEFORE tickets go on sale. Toronto FC's supporters section was divided up by areas for RPB, etc. and I think those are all reserved. The days of 'just showing up on match day' and getting whatever seat you want are over, with 12k already spoken for. I'd support the idea of 122 being GA, but that doesn't guarantee that only standing supporters will buy seats there. Either way, reserved or GA, supporters will have to be organized to get seats before the general public does.
That's more than a bit of apologist revisionism re: Toronto. Toronto assigned supporter's sections before RPB and U-Sector got super-organized and as big as they are today. Even if it isn't true GA, they set aside space for the supporters to be the supporters in advance so they could funnel the crazies down that aways. If the front office wanted to go out and actually designate 121-123 as supporters sections where supporters groups got first dibs, then that would be a fine compromise but there is zero indication that is what's happening. Having a GA section like Section 8 was in Soldier Field would also work. Or hell, just selling tickets to a section rather than a reserved seat. But if everyone has assigned seats and we are surrounded by youth teams, this will fizzle fast. And heck, didn't the front office learn anything from the growth of the ECS since '03 and the concessions they've made to us since then (i.e. not selling seats in 113 immediately behind us to minimize complaints from the flags and so on)?
Others who talk to Gary all the time would know better than me, but he did say to me at one point that multiple supporters groups were going to be accommodated. Not sure what that means. The other NFL venue in MLS (NE) has a GA supporters area. They don't have the pre-sale demand Seattle does, though, if that is some kind of factor here.
Seattle MLS is going to accomodate ECS in a reasonable compromise. They will likely learn what section you guys want, and inform their ticket agents that this section is recommended for non-family, rowdy, loud fans. The Seahawks did this with the face painting section directly behind the south goal stand. Todd Prieb, the ticket agent who organized it, simply found out which section the face painters wanted to call their own and reserved several rows, and then notified anyone who wanted seats there, that the section would be loud, boisterous and somewhat adult-oriented. The Seahawk fan club also then let all face painters know the section number, and all was well. Toronto Blizzard never had GA to my memory, and the eastern section of midfield was rowdy as all get out, with the family fans, Italian fans and other fan groups claiming their own sections without need of GA. It worked nicely, with just a little communication and a little coordination with the franchise. You can work a similar negotiation with Seattle MLS, it is basically how other organizations handle it. With 18,000 people floating around the lower bowl, GA could become downright dangerous. You will find a way to make it all work, and I am sure the franchise will accomodate you guys as much as possible. It may force some of you to buy season tickets, rather than on-demand seats, but even then, since you have the crappiest seats in the house the ability to "shift down" from an on-demand ticket, should not be that hard. Come on guys, are we really going to Chicken Little on every single rumor sprouted on this board?
Part of the reason for people getting so bent out of shape over EVERYTHING is the silence from the FO since the announcement. It is maddening that we don't hear actual news from them. We only hear rumors. As for this particular topic it rings home to a lot of people and how they want to support the team. I really don't want to be in a "family" section and worry about drinking too much or having to sit down. These worries are very tangible if only because of the silence from the FO.
The rumors that we have are that they are willing to put a buffer zone of empty seats behind us to keep out the whiners and seat the current ECS together if we request seats together. Big whoop - that's not the same thing as saying "122 is a supporters section." That's even less than f'ing Colorado gets.
Drew Carey should say something. He's all about the experience and excitement of a soccer match. With no supporters section, it may as well be like a MLB crowd. You'll have groups of supporters getting rowdy next to soccer mom and family.
How is he going to magically change this unless he lets the ticket people know what they're doing is bass-ackwards? By the way, WestSeattle, nice presumption (as usual). The Seahawks south end-zone is a baseline, not a model, and so far, signs do not point to even that being granted by our lords and saviors above. What we want is much more like collegiate sports and the student sections, not the No Fun League and its gradual sapping of the life from the end-zone sections.
Where did this tidbit of information come from? I truly believe that the front office and ECS will need to work out a compromise. Give the group a place to raise hell and do what they do so well. It does not have to be GA but there must be clearly identified sections where the atmosphere is not Disney/PG like. That was part of the problem with the USL club at Qwest. The flags and color drew children over and the antics of ECS (no criticism here) shocked some parents.
Exactly! These things need to be worked out in advance so that everyone is happy. My biggest fear is that some families get plunked down in the middle of 122, or a section nearby, and we piss them off by teaching their kids some undesirable language or whatever. This is a dialogue that needs to be opened between us and the club for the benefit of all. That being said the initial talks look like this is just another wind-up and nothing has been decided yet.
I am unsure what my "presumption" was, having talked to and known the ticket organizer that help manage the situation for the Hawks back in 2002. His name was Todd Prieb, I don't know where the hell he is these days, but if you talked to him, he'll tell you helped ensure the Seahawks accomodated the needs of the Seahawk fan clubs loudest, face-painted fans into one specific area. All it took was simple communication between the Seahawks fan club, and a leading agent in the ticket office. Now if a ticket on the lower end south side of the stadium is open for season ticket purchase, and you try to buy a Seahawk season ticket there, they will warn you that is a rowdy section, reserved for face painters. At least they used to, nowadays it is all sold out, so they don't even have to do that. If such a flag was attached to section 122 for Seattle MLS, I see no reason why this could not appease all parties. The work here would be on ECS to ensure people who want to join in on the activities buy a ticket in that section. It's the same conditions that I saw work for the Blizzard, and presumably helped Toronto FC get their supporter section developed. I understand the frustration of not having a legit contact that ECS can work with. That will likely come in time, but that is a much more viable complaint, than ranting about a rumor, that has a viable solution to the situation even if it were true. A lot of MLS teams don't have GA, and still have the kind of supporter section ECS is looking for. Keith's complaint that they have no contact to work with yet however, is a legitimate complaint. A group like ECS needs contacts to develop a relationship. Let's hope Seattle MLS realizes that and provides such a contact in the months ahead - preferably before seat designations are assigned to season ticket holders.
The majority of us already have season tickets, USL-1 wise. If the lower bowl is sold out or close to sold out as 12K deposits would indicate, there won't be an option to shift down.
This is something that hopefully can be resolved before the information gets sent out to us for our season tickets. It does present a different problem in that we have so many deposits already compared to alot of teams before us from what I have heard/read.
We're not even close to selling out the lower bowl folks. That's 24K of attendance we're talking, and we're not even close. Another advantage to your plan of using the south section is ticket agents will use your preference of this area to "upgrade" other people when they order tickets. Ticket agents love reasons to bump people up to a higher category of ticket. Citing 122 as a supporters area, where fans are usually loud, boisterous and on their feet their whole match, can attract younger fans, but can also be used to upgrade older fans and families to better seats. In other words, the franchise has every reason to cooperate with you. The key to this whole problem as Lamil and Keith point out is, to work this out for your crew, you need to cooperate with the franchise before seat allocation takes place. It is worrisome there hasn't been any effort to do that yet. Once that gets established though, I truly believe you'll get your supporters section, because it makes good business sense. If we do get to 24K consistently, then your supporter section might not be able to grow, but that's a really good problem to have, and of course there are other possible solutions if we ever reach it. Really if we hit 24K consistently, for every game, the noise and effort to build a soccer only stadium becomes deafening. The temporary solution is to open parts of the upper bowl too. We are graduating to another level here folks. It is a good thing. There will be growing pains for sure, adjustments to be made, and maybe some of the advantages of a small fan group will have to fade away. I sympathize with and understand the angst of those who are used to the status quo, have become familiar with it, and have learned to love it. There is nothing more stressful in life - as change. Some of the aspects you have come to love about the USL will go away. Seattle won't be as dominant for one thing. There will be more families and children in the crowds, the ticket prices will go up, and there will probably be even stricter security. Also year one might be a bumpy ride, as the franchise finds its footing, and learns how to work the various groups of fans. While I understand the concerns, some of you seem to be leaping to conclusions of doom, rather quickly. This is a smart group of owners we've inherited, this is a great league we're graduating too. Sure some of you won't be happy with the evolution, but most of us will be, and we're going to attract more soccer fans than we've had in a very long time. If if were you, I'd elect a spokesman for the ECS with great diplomatic skill, and have that person push the franchise for a liason to secure 122 for your supporters. Perhaps concede to sharing that section with Mafia Verde and other supporter groups that come along. If you grow beyond 122, that's a good problem to have, one the franchise will be willing to work with you on. You guys buy tickets, you have leverage, and they'll find solutions to keep you as customers. I confess, I am an eternal optimist about sports, so I am the first to concede these opinions of mine are skewed with optimism - and excitement. I've envied the MLS since Seahawks Stadium was completed, so for me this is a coronation. That makes my perceptions and reaction vastly different from most people on this board. So if you read my posts and find your fist clench, wanting to punch me in the face, take that into consideration. I am a different breed of fan, but I offer one warning, there are more fans like me coming on this board next year. So in some ways, we're all going to have to learn how to adapt and get along.
This is a tiny bit off topic, but... does anyone know if the 24.5 K seats that have been cited as the fixed capacity include the hawk's nest?
In the interest of moving discussion beyond the name, I'm bumping threads related to other issues. I thought this one was worthy of another look.
Thanks for posting that. Yes, it looks to be up to 1,000 'supporters area' GA tickets in the south end.
Interesting news. I wonder how it will all work. I assume you can still get a GA season ticket, or will they only be sold on game day?