Okay, so that we don't take over the Special Game C thread with this topic... This is the way that I really see the FO wanting this to work and I think that the idea has merit.... First off, the gold sections are what we'd fill now. Put Turbina in 139 and 140. Move HSH to the bottoms of 141 and 142, which leaves plenty of room to grow and fill the sections. They're the largest group, they get the largest sections. If needed they can fill in behind Turbina as well. Then move 103 down to 101. The FO has said they'd be willing to discuss a pricing 101 in the "North End" rather than the "Lower Sideline" as incentive for us moving down two sections. And that's a pretty significant price break, boys. Now, other than us, there are no season tickets sold in those sections and the sections are clearly labeled on all seating maps of the stadium so that no one has the excuse of "I didn't know where I was sitting when I bought the ticket and I'd rather that they sit down and shut up." We get our own dedicated security, and vendors as well. Also, for US games, Sam's Army would start in 139 and continue around the lower sideline for as many sections as we could sell. I'm not saying it's perfect by any means, but it's a starting point. Thoughts?
I think that's about as good as it's going to get. I have no problem at all with paying endline prices instead of sideline prices. One game last season when my mom was in town, I sat in the corner of the stadium opposite of La Turbina. It was interesting seeing what the atmosphere was like and I don't think most of the people in the supporters' groups actually realize what they all sound like around the stadium. You could hear La Turbina's drums loud and clear, which was cool, and you could hear some of HSH's chants pretty well, but you could really only hear anything 103 was doing when nobody else was doing anything at all (it was one of the games when we had about a medium sized attendance in 103). But when all three sections were going, it was just noisy and chaotic which was actually pretty cool, but less cool, I think, than having the three groups in unison would be. And unless we can honestly see 103 about doubling in size by next season, then I hardly see the point in keeping us several sections away from the other two groups. I hope we continue to be our own, distinct group and we grow from here, but I just think having the three groups side by side will be beneficial to the groups individually and the stadium atmosphere as a whole. I know not everyone will agree with me and I'm fine with that and open to other ideas and points of view, but that's what I think.
I'm going to hold out some hope for access to the terrace! I'll be having my own conversation with Kenney and will definitely post back after that. I like the layout though. I'd hope the FO would allow for continued expansion across the sections once it hits a certain percentage filled rather than having to completely fill a section before moving on.
I like the idea of having the Turbina on one side and HSH and CSU next to each other. Hell, most of our chants and songs are the same, so it'll be much easier to get them going together, while still maintaining some of our individuality.
I like the configuration too, Mike. And - if negotiated as you promise - I can't complain about the drop in price.
whoa.. I didn't promise anything, I simply said that it's been discussed, that's all. I think we can make it happen, but it's not set in stone yet.
For those not buying season tickets, but who still like to sit with supporters sections, would the single game tickets for 101 also get the North End pricing?
Thanks for the thread. I think nothing behind either goal would stink. Why not just put temporary seats behind the goal for games, and then remove them for concerts? The price renegotiation is encouraging from the FO. If there is a final word on it, I'd love to know before putting down my season ticket renewal.
To be honest, I don't really mind being moved to the corner, as is apparently being discussed (HSH,I don't know about anyone else). The front office has been trying to work with us, which is a large step in the right direction. I actually am more worried about joining all three of us up together. Hudson Street can fill up our stands just fine, and it's nice having the other groups in different parts of the stadium. One crazy thought here...what if the Crew started one more cheering section, maybe the family friendly type, in the south end or at least on the south side if the midfield on the side? Then, if we moved the other three groups to the other corners, we could have four distinct cheering sections, and maybe, just enough coverage to get more people to hear us? Also, are you guys changing your name to Local 101?
What you say makes sense, but I think that the FO wants to contain the madness as much as they can. They are talking about making the sections right next to the offices (119, 120, and 121) the "family sections" with no alcohol, etc... due to the fact that visiting bigwigs in the corporate tent see a lot of that rather than us. As far as a name change, it may just become the "Columbus Local" to go along with the current theme of the "Washington DC Local," the "Boston Local," and the "Indianapolis Local" that all already exist and the "Cincinnati Local" that is currently under development.
So I guess this is how it stands ... HSH ... 139 La Turbina ... 140 "Local" ... where did you guys end up? One of the things I liked most about my conversation with Keeney this morning was STREAMERS!!! The northeast corner is going to rain down black and gold on opposing team corner kicks! And I'm still holding out some hope for supporter access to the terrace.
Information from today's meeting with the FO Well, we now have our first look at the construction. This is from the road next to the interstate behind the north end: And this one is from the south end of the stadium. The black stands on each side of the cavern will stay. We were also shown the artwork of what the stage is supposed to look like and honestly it looks much better than I thought it would. The walkway above 137 will remain and will be open during the games. It will also be under the overhang of the stage. Discussion is still ongoing about what will be done with the stage area during the games. I'm not sure if there will be a rail that people can stand at right behind the goal, but the beer garden idea and temporary bleachers for every game are out due to logistics problems. The south stands will remain as they are for the coming season, but that could change during the next offseason and they could be extended all the way down to the field. They're still mulling that one over. As of right now, the thinking is that the supporters corner will be composed of the first 12 rows from the stage in 139 all the way around to 101, with rows 13-16 empty to act as a buffer between us and the people that might be sitting in the sections as well. As we prove that we need more space, the buffer will move up as necessary. All of our area will be GA and we're looking at making all of these sections completely GA, but that's undecided. Tickets in the top half of the sections will not be sold through Ticketmaster, but only through the club itself so that no one is able to say "I didn't know." Right now, it looks like we're going to put Turbina from the stage to the crease in 140, Hudson from the crease in 140 to 142, and the Local in 101. Not sure about the price break yet. We're still negotiating. The FO is willing to have banners made for each of the groups as well. They're also willing to help us out with getting price breaks on group t-shirts and scarves and things of that sort as well. All in all, I like where we're heading.
I got it too. Looks like I will be moving my seat to 101. Maybe we could get CD101 to sponsor the section too?
So what is this about them making banners for the groups? I suppose this will just have the group names (maybe a logo?) on them and go at the top of the sections, I would hope. I presonally like having the bottom of the section available for the BYOB (bring your own banner) types. So, we're going to be good for: streamers? flags? beer vendors? (ones actually walking up/down aisles) The assistance on t-shirts & much more importantly scarves is very nice. I'd really like for us to roll out a pair of scarf designs for the spring. Has there been any kind of name that has stuck to the corner yet? We can't really call it the NorthEnd anymore. Does anyone have any suggestions on this?
Vendors: Beer/Pepsi vendors are cool. I don't know what other vendors they have, but any such vendors in the corner should ideally be limited to beer and soft drinks only. I'm not sure I like the idea of people sitting behind us. Being one of the "old guard", I remember having to walk up and down section 137 telling people what to expect. Something tells me that if you sell the tickets (even controlled and with a warning), we'll still get a few "I didn't expect this" type comments. However, I do understand the need to sell tickets, and if the sections are sold only through the front office, and with a warning about what to expect, I could warm up to the idea. Honestly though, with the way things have been going, why couldn't the FO sell the other areas of the stadium first? Once the rest of the stadium is sold out, then they'd start at the top of our corner and work down. If someone requests that corner, could the FO politely suggest the northwest corner as an alternative? Something like "there is a group of people in this section that will act crazy, be standing, waving banners, and banging drums. We frown upon organized swearing, but we cannot guarantee it won't happen. If this does not sound like a fun time, we strongly suggest section 134 or 135 as an alternative." Face it, when it comes to the swearing, we know the FO's opinion, which a lot of people may or may not share. Not to mention there's words that are obvious swears and there's other "more creative" words which a lot of people may not understand which carry certain undertones. However, if you combine beer with a classic Crew 6 game winless streak and a 3-1 deficit in the 80th minute, who knows what'll happen. I do like the idea of the professional banners above the section and the BYOB variety at the bottom. From the above picture, it looks like we'll still have the black wall, so we could work in both directions. Of course we'd need our own dedicated security. We know what happens when things are mixed up on us. Streamers on the field - If the FO is ok with it, then i'm on board too. I like the idea about Sam's Army. If the tickets could actually say "Section-Sam's Army, Row/Seat - General Admission", even better. I think it'll work. Looking in to the section, it'll appear as one big group, but it'll really be three small groups. That's similar to what is in Chicago and DC. Section Name: The Hellhole is what comes to mind. Ansil Elcock once spoke of making CCS a hellhole. Perhaps the name is a bit too over the edge, but we have time to decide. I do like the clothing options. T-shirts, scarves, etc. What exactly is the idea here? I see fans selling the stuff at tailgates, but also a website set up (either our own, or one run by the CFO) that pumps money back into the section.
Torcida. It's the Brazillian equivilant of "Barra Brava" so it's like the perfect anti-DC name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torcida I think "Torcida Columbus" has a nice ring to it. If not that how about Curva Nord.
So by "stage" what do they mean exactly? Will it be literally a flat stage for the supporters, or perhaps some sort of standing only section? Just need some clarification
Thanks for the info and the pics. If they don't sell any tickets through ticketmaster, then I don't see what the problem will be. The only way folks will be able to get tickets will be at the Crew stadium ticket office. Hmm, how are supporters supposed to get tickets?
You know, a stage, as in where a musical group can set up their instruments for a "gig". That sort of thing. I'd also try actually reading what Mike said, where it says it will not be logistically possible for the supporters to use this area on game day.
1. Hellhole sounds nice and all, but I guess I had something more in mind that could even be printed up onto the stadium mapping or some of the published materials. Just a hunch, but the FO isn't likely to go for Hellhole. 2. I'm not sure what Mike and others in Columbus have planned, but I'd like to see some upgrades made to the Local 103 site made so that we can have a site dedicated to the entire corner of supporters that would include online sales of merchandise. Maybe that's a bit lofty, but if certain steps are taken, we shouldn't have too much trouble financing some more sophisticated web design and management. 3. I believe there is a certain deported Polish Crew fan that would cream his pants if we used Torcida Columbus. In fact, the end-note about the connection of Torcida to places in Eastern Europe was fitting and I can even remember my FIFA game from a year or so back having an old banner from his time incorporated into the game that had Torcida Columbus or Torcida Crew in it. 4. Good question. I would assume there would be some sort of tie-in to Kessler or whomever the proper ticket reps would be if you called the Crew FO for tickets. As for online purchase, I think that's very tricky indeed. If the above mentioned website upgrades are made, I wonder if that could be an outlet online for ticket sales, as it would be damn obvious then as to what you were getting yourself into. Other than that, I would suppose you'd have to go to the ticket window before the game if you needed single game tickets... or maybe even somehow have tailgate ticket sales?