Reading SoB's

Discussion in 'Sons of Ben' started by sara_laughs, Sep 9, 2009.

  1. sara_laughs

    sara_laughs New Member

    Jun 16, 2008
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We had our first meet-up tonight at Pikes! From L - R, Ric (Lorax Jr.), Michelle, Jim (slitz). In the way background is Jim & Michelle's friend whose name I never caught. Sorry it's so crappy. The phone doesn't make for the best camera evah.

    [​IMG]
     
  2. SOB - Fleetwood

    SOB - Fleetwood New Member

    Jul 25, 2009
    PA
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Good job! Hope to see you guys at a future event!
     
  3. slitz

    slitz Member+

    Feb 19, 2005
    Red City, 140
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    our numbers may have been small, but we were mighty. we got everyone at the bar looking our way when they scored :)
     
  4. Dbird76

    May 12, 2009
    Buggytopia
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hope I can make it up to the next one!
     
  5. JamesonSoB

    JamesonSoB Member

    Jan 9, 2009
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    yeah when i got to the pike around 6 there wasn't even parking... so i went to brewers. maybe next time. wait, next time is honduras on a saturday. i'll be going into philly for that one...
     
  6. slitz

    slitz Member+

    Feb 19, 2005
    Red City, 140
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    weak... there is plenty of street parking and the bar wasnt overly crowded
     
  7. JamesonSoB

    JamesonSoB Member

    Jan 9, 2009
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    :cool:
     
  8. PACE

    PACE New Member

    Sep 18, 2007
    Boyertown
    I would have loved to join you, schedule is too youth soccer heaby to enjoy much adult soccer! Hoping for next time! Reading SOB's!
     
  9. Lorax Jr.

    Lorax Jr. Member

    Jul 6, 2004
    Boyertown
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hey, all you Reading SOBs! I was wondering if anyone was game to trying another viewing party this year before all the real fun begins next year.

    I would like to suggest that we try to get together for the US v. Solvakia on Saturday, November 14 or for the MLS Cup on Sunday, November 22 or perhaps both.

    I would also suggest that we go to Brewers in West Reading and give them a shot to see if we could make that our official pub.

    So let me know who is interested and if there are any takers on setting this up. (Jameson SOB, I'm looking in your direction because of your connections at Brewers).;)

    It would be nice if we could get a good group out for the first time so that we can start to establish a core group and find our pub home.
     
  10. slitz

    slitz Member+

    Feb 19, 2005
    Red City, 140
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    what time of day is the slovakia game? i'm guessing 2:30. I could prob make it... i have my niece b-day party to go to at 5
     
  11. sara_laughs

    sara_laughs New Member

    Jun 16, 2008
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm gonna say now that I'm in but my life is chaos personified so it could change right up until I'm due to arrive. :p I like Brewers. Sounds like a plan!
     
  12. slitz

    slitz Member+

    Feb 19, 2005
    Red City, 140
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    theres also the denmark game. its a weekday, can anyone else make that? I can prob skip out of work early
     
  13. sara_laughs

    sara_laughs New Member

    Jun 16, 2008
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    time? Mondays are out. I'm busy with ballroom dance in the evening. :rolleyes:
     
  14. Dbird76

    May 12, 2009
    Buggytopia
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What about this Sunday with the MLS playoff double header/Phil's game?
    Is there any place other than my house in Lanco/Berks that will give us at least 1 TV with soccer instead of NFL?
     
  15. Lorax Jr.

    Lorax Jr. Member

    Jul 6, 2004
    Boyertown
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hey guys, sorry for not replying in a while. It's been a weird week and I haven't checked this site for a long time since I posted about getting together.

    I never really thought about the Demark game, but that could also be a possibility. I guess the only potential flaw in my plan in watching the US games is that they will be televised during the day. My guess is that if that is the case the Demark game will be out and perhaps we could do the Solvakia game. Although that being said after checking my schedule I may not be able to attend the Slovakia game.

    Also, does anyone have any interest in watching the MLS Cup at Brewers or The Pike or wherever else. I know I would prefer watching the Cup with a group of people in a pub and not just alone in the comfort of my home.

    And on a separate but related note, what happened to all of the Reading and Berks County soccer fans that used to be on Big Soccer? It seems like we have dwindled in numbers when we should be growing and perparing to take our soccer region by storm when the Union finally takes the field. I know that there are adult soccer fans in the Reading area, I just don't know what happened to all of them. Kickoff is less than 5 months away, we need to start bringing the SoB/DVI passion to Reading. Rant over.
     
  16. JamesonSoB

    JamesonSoB Member

    Jan 9, 2009
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Berks county soccer fans don't truly understand what being a soccer supporter means. I've thought about this long and hard. I either meet people who just want it to be Green Street... or they have the soccer parent mentality. This stereotype is perpetuated by the TERRIBLE way Berks County soccer is officiated and played. Don't ask me why I say this, but i've been coaching here for three years and its true.

    The only kind of fans we will get out of Berks County in any kind of great numbers will be the group packages of U-10 teams with their parents. Sorry, but its true.
     
  17. Lorax Jr.

    Lorax Jr. Member

    Jul 6, 2004
    Boyertown
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I've lived in Berks County for 30 of my 39 years on this planet and I also coach and I used to ref years ago. I do not disagree with your assesment of the Berks County soccer fan. This county truly is a youth soccer county and their undertanding of the game is pretty bad as you referenced in your comment of the terrible way the game is officiated and played.

    However, this county has always had a soccer pulse and their are many signs that there is a true, adult soccer scene here that hopefully can be cultivated. The only soccer that this area really knows is the youth soccer scene and now that the Union are here it's time to find the people who really like "REAL" soccer and teach the locals that soccer is not just a kids game where Johnny and Jimmy kick the ball aimlessly up and down the field.

    In my humble opinion, one of the reasons that 1st division professional soccer hasn't made it in this area is because people really don't take it seriously as a professional sport. People may say "well it's nice that they have a local team", but they will still think that soccer is the game that their kids play.

    This is why I think that it is so important that we get these viewing parties going and that we form a strong core of serious soccer fans in this region. Berks County can really be an area of followers in a sense. If we show our passion and commitment to professional soccer people will follow.

    While your assessment of the soccer fan here in Berks is correct there are adult guys and girls who play in the rec leagues and pick up games, watch games in pubs and at home, and in general are or want or be soccer fans. I know just from my experiences that there are many people around here who fit that description.

    I'm not saying that it will be easy and that they will be joining us right away, but if we can get things going I'm sure other people will join.
     
  18. JamesonSoB

    JamesonSoB Member

    Jan 9, 2009
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Agreed... the kind of fan that Union can get from Berks are the families who will buy up seat in the rest of the stadium. As for the River End... work in progress. Its really about latching onto the kids in high school/college NOW and getting them involved so that if they stay in the area they are committed.
     
  19. sara_laughs

    sara_laughs New Member

    Jun 16, 2008
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ric, thank you for saying what I have been trying to compose in my head for a couple of days now. A big ol' [​IMG] from me.
     
  20. Lorax Jr.

    Lorax Jr. Member

    Jul 6, 2004
    Boyertown
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, it seems that most of us are in agreement about the soccer scene in Berks County and that we will be the ones to help cultivate the adult soccer scene here. I know in speaking for myself that there are soccer scenes that I have contacts to that I could start to push a little harder to get them to give us and the Union a better look.

    In looking ahead at the schedules for the upcoming US games and MLS Cup, it looks like there might be problems in watching the US games because of the times. Well, I guess there won't be a problem with the Slovakia if it's during the day because it's on a Saturday.

    With that in mind, why don't we plan to have a real viewing party for MLS Cup. And by real party I mean that we really try to promote it as a "Bring on the Union" type of party. I really just came up with this idea today, so I don't have any details in mind only that I would love to deck out Brewers (if it is Brewers) with Unoin stuff and perhaps just maybe we could generate some media attention.

    I guess I'm thinking pretty big when you consider the fact that we've had one real viewing party and I can almost count the number of people that attended on one hand. It just feels like this is the time and that if we start planning now and get the word out to all soccer people that we know so that we can get enough people that we can count on both hands and maybe even both feet.

    If I can get a committment from a few people on these boards to attend this, I'll start to get the ball rolling.
     
  21. Lorax Jr.

    Lorax Jr. Member

    Jul 6, 2004
    Boyertown
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I was just looking at Brewers homepage for the schedule of events and saw that the Eagles are playing at 8:00 on Sunday, November 22. MLS Cup is at 8:30 the same night.

    Does anyone think that this conflict would affect our plans to have a viewing party? Would Brewers want their pub dominated by soccer people at the same time the Eagles are playing?

    I'm hoping that we will run into this problem in the future as I'm sure that there will be other viewing parties that will be in conflict with one of the other Philly teams or even Penn State. However, I don't want to start off on the wrong foot by pissing off Eagles fans and perhaps starting an awkward relationship with Brewers.

    If anyone thinks that I'm making to much of this, just tell me to shut up! ;)
     
  22. slitz

    slitz Member+

    Feb 19, 2005
    Red City, 140
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    i've never been there so i dont know what their eagles crowd is like.

    i'm game for watching the game somewhere
     
  23. sara_laughs

    sara_laughs New Member

    Jun 16, 2008
    Reading, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't know what the Eagles' crowd will look like but Jameson tweeted that he went there to watch the Phils and went right back home again because it was too crowded. It's not a huge place. If they get a big Eagles crowd in there, there's no chance for the five to ten of us to get space and or a tv dedicated to soccer.
     
  24. slitz

    slitz Member+

    Feb 19, 2005
    Red City, 140
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    well he also said the same thing when we watched the USA game at the Pike too, so...
     
  25. Lorax Jr.

    Lorax Jr. Member

    Jul 6, 2004
    Boyertown
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not that I really want to go back to the Pike, but if we can get enough people do we try and get that back room for us? It's not that I dislike the Pike, I just would like to check out other places and Brewers sounds like it might work for us.

    Also, I am assuming that when Jameson went to Brewers to see the Phils that it was probably during the playoffs. I would be surprised if Brewers is packed for a regular season Eagles game. But what do I know, I've been wrong before and I've never been to Brewers.

    I think our first step is to see if we want to do this and then see what kind of numbers we can generate. From there we can talk to Brewers to see what their thoughts are and if they want us
     

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