Thorns Fan Support

Discussion in 'Portland Thorns FC' started by cpthomas, Apr 24, 2013.

  1. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  2. vert2013

    vert2013 New Member

    Feb 26, 2013
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    The Rose City Riveters are doing pretty much everything right. They had a foot up because of the Timbers Army and because PDX is a soccer city, but other teams should follow their lead.
     
  3. aperfectring

    aperfectring Member+

    Jul 13, 2011
    Hillsboro, OR
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    I will state that it only got to where it is by months of work by those dedicated to the cause, in the face of many detractors, even in this soccer city. I applaud their efforts, and the outstanding beginning to a great supporters group.
     
  4. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
  5. attackerp

    attackerp Member

    Nov 4, 2009
  6. newsouth

    newsouth Member

    Nov 20, 2010
    Club:
    Santos FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Excellent!

    I'm still flipping off Clive during the FCKC game though.
     
    Cliveworshipper repped this.
  7. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    Haha. You'll be flipping off somebody else in the seat. I'll be at Yurcak that game watching the Sky Blue.

    But I'll make sure they raise a pint to your finger.
     
  8. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Now that we have seen Portland's dedicated fan base at home, my question is how well do you travel?
    Will Thorns fans flood Tukwila, WA this Saturday? I bough tickets ahead of time hoping they will come up to Seattle in huge numbers and Starfire Stadium will be sold out and loud.
     
  9. newsouth

    newsouth Member

    Nov 20, 2010
    Club:
    Santos FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Do the ticket deals in Portland translate to travel deals? Someone posted their support groups got deals to keep the house rocking similar to Timber games. No travel deals, if they have to hit to road. We shall see.
     
  10. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    Not sure what you mean. The supporters groups in the MLS organize buses to other Cascadia teams which include tickets. They may negotiate group deals. In the MLS, I think that's limited to 1000 seats or so for the three venues by negotiations with the front offices. The Timbers also hold tickets for the other groups. Everyone else has to find their own way there. You are expected to stand and chant all game.


    There was a deal to Tukwila being sold last weekend and I saw there were 8 seats left, but I don't know how many buses that was, or even if it was more than one bus.
     
  11. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If I weren't going to Washington, DC, I'd be there. Yet, the Timbers are playing in DC while I'm there and I'm not going to their game. So much for those who say the Thorns' attendance is a bunch of Timbers fans who can't get Timbers tickets.
     
  12. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Late last Spring, there were some posts on another thread suggesting that the Thorns supporters group -- the Rose City Riveters -- either was a bunch of Timbers Army participants or was there because they got special ticket deal bribes. I was curious, so I asked one of the initial members of the group for some history. She sent me an email that I've had on my desk for a long time, and I've been meaning to post excerpts from her email and from a couple of its attachments here. So, here it is:

    The idea of a bribe is hilarious.:) ....

    There are a lot of us who are Timbers Army. Certainly the majority of us who got together to create a supporters group for the Thorns come from that background, but as we grow, we're seeing more and more new faces, folks who either aren't involved in the Timbers Army, or are just now showing up because their true passion is women's soccer. It's an interesting mix.

    Here's the piece about the name from the website [posted April 7, 2013] ....

    By any other name ...

    We united under the Thorns Alliance banner for one purpose: to support Portland Thorns FC.

    Forty-five of us gathered in a house in Northeast Portland on a cold January night. We laughed, we argued, we brainstormed ideas. How do we go about this whole thing? What needs to be done? Flags and tifo, chants and drums, a social media presence. What else?

    An identify.

    Dedication. Strength. Perseverance.

    Loyalty. Community.

    How do you convey all of this?

    Well, I think we've managed to do that with the name we've chosen.

    The poll went up four nights ago. Voting was close and, at the end of the day, the name chosen is Rose City Riveters.

    We're all familiar with the image of Rosie the Riveter. She was a composite of many different "Rosies," women who went to work in the defense industry in the '40s. In Seattle, Rosie went to work for Boeing. In Detroit, they built automobiles. In Portland, they worked for the Kaiser shipyards. At one point in those war years, two-thirds of Portland's workforce worked for Kaiser, many of them women who had never before worked outside the home.

    It was a time in our history when many people were called to serve their country in many ways. It was a time that required that everyone do their part.

    In Portland, it was a time of change. In addition to Portland's Rosies, people came from across the country to work for Kaiser, many purely out of a sense of duty. ....

    So, there's your bit of Portland history. Now about those rivets.

    In the simplest of terms, rivets are the things that hold stuff together.

    Recognizing that two professional women's soccer leagues have failed in recent history, we believe that now more than ever, it is the responsibility of supporters and supporters groups to be the rivets that hold this new league together. Owners and players can only give so much. If we don't show up to support -- and show up en masse -- the league will crumble as those that came before.

    And more than that because of where we are, here in Soccer City, USA, the bar is set pretty high. We will set the standard for the support of women's professional soccer in the United States.

    Get ready.

    Rose City Riveters

    By Any Other Name
    And here's the thing I wrote on my personal blog a day or two after what was then known as the Thorns Alliance first met in January [posted January 19, 2013]:

    Consider this my coming out party.

    No, still not gay.

    I am a supporter of the Portland Thorns FC. This is a club that hasn't played a match yet, that doesn't even have a full roster, hasn't sold tickets. But I'm here. And some of my Timbers Army friends are here. And we're being joined by a few folks we've never seen in the North end on a Timbers match day.

    And, as we are still in Timbers offseason antics, people are shrieking about it on the interwebs.

    "You must let it grow organically!"

    "Why not use the knowledge and infrastructure already in place!"

    "Where is the 107ist?!"

    Oh, bother.

    See, here's the thing: I was pretty firmly planted on the "what's gonna happen is gonna happen" side of things until tonight. I went to the first planning meeting for the Thorns supporters group out of curiosity and my sentimental desire to be there from the beginning. Whatever it becomes, I'll want to be a part of it, but I was willing to let it "grow organically" as so many other folks are arguing it should.

    Then I heard women speak with such passion about not just the Thorns, but about women's professional soccer and the influence it had on their lives as young women. I heard men speak of the responsibility we have as supporters of a team entering the third iteration of a pro women's league after the first two leagues folded.

    And I changed my mind. We may not have time to grow as the Timbers Army did. And yes, I know there were times when no one was sure there'd be a team to support when the next season rolled around, but with the women's league? If history is any indication, I'd guess we have two, maybe three years at the very outset to build enough support for this club that will financially justify its continued existence. And in that time, supporters groups in other cities must do the same.

    I've no idea what soccer support looks like in Rochester, but here, right now, it looks like a bunch of people yelling at each other on Twitter.

    Everyone has an opinion. "Anything new is wrong. This new group is *awful* because they're trying to 'force' supporters culture. You don't want to support the Thorns or take part in the birth of the SG? Well, you might be a misogynist." Or not. Whatever.

    Like I said, I was there because I wanted to be there from the beginning, to watch it come together. I wasn't there for the birth of the Timbers Army so I can't testify to what all went into the sausage-making then, but I'd guess that there were contentious times. I'd also guess that a lot of the folks shouting about the 'forced' nature of this new group weren't there at the beginning, either.

    Again: whatever.

    I met a 14-year old girl named Mo tonight. As far as I'm concerned, she and she alone is the founder of whatever this group becomes. She is our Nevets. You can all buy her beer in about seven years.

    She is why we were there. She's a Timbers fan and was so excited by the prospect of a women's teamthat she designed a scarf for the Thorns, hoping there would be a supporters group that would wear it. She read us words she'd written that were heartfelt and beautiful. She sat quietly in the midst of a bunch of crazy yelling, arguing, swearing people, and she smiled.

    She's the reason we're putting this thing together. She and every other young girl who is looking forward to seeing her favorite player take the pitch at Jeld-Wen.

    So, you can mock and deride and bitch and moan and tell us we're doing it wrong if that's your thing. But I'm guessing Mo doesn't care and I'm going to try to follow her example.
    (continued in next post ...)
     
    LLSGE repped this.
  13. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    (continued) ...

    Eight months later:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    LLSGE repped this.
  14. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    Looks like the Death Star will rock this year.
     
  15. westcoast ape

    westcoast ape Member+

    Nov 27, 2000
    Portland, OR
    I was pretty shocked by that large an increase in season ticket holders, as I haven't noticed much in the way of outreach or advertising of the Thorns for the upcoming season.

    I'm not sure there will be a corresponding increase in overall attendance ( that is, I don't think average attendance will go from 13,000 to 16,000 just because season tickets went from 7,000 to 10,000).

    Sometimes I feel pretty damn lucky to be living in Portland.
     
    LLSGE repped this.
  16. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I too haven't seen much in the way of old fashioned advertising, but I know the ticketing staff called through last year's Thorns season ticket holders and I'm guessing they also called through the Timbers season ticket holders that don't already have Thorns tickets as well as the Timbers wait listers. It think it's also possible they called through the U of Portland season ticket holders, as they and the Pilots have some kind of marketing cooperative arrangement.

    I remember Paulson indicating at some point that with where it looked like season tickets were going, they are thinking 15,000 attendance per game.
     
  17. LLSGE

    LLSGE Member

    Oct 18, 2010
    Portland, OR
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    14,124 opening night vs FCKC. Hopefully breaking 15k will become the norm this summer.
     
  18. LLSGE

    LLSGE Member

    Oct 18, 2010
    Portland, OR
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Has there been any talk by the league or anyone else about having supporters from other clubs come to Portland to meet with and learn from BAON on how to establish or grow their supporters groups? I think the MLS's understanding of the benefits offered by supporters groups changed dramatically after the likes of Seattle, Philadelphia etc joined. I'm sure supporters groups would grow attendance and help NWSL thrive.
     
  19. nomadpdx

    nomadpdx New Member

    Apr 27, 2014
    Portland
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Hi, all. if you've' been reading the blog quotes from above, those are from me. I'm the communications coordinator for the Riveters.

    Here's the thing about "learning how to do it like Portland does": there's no other city like Portland, so that would prove to be an impossible task. What we do hope to do is offer advice to those who want it.

    We have a great stadium and a front office that allows us access to do the things we need to do in order to support the way we do. Not every other supporters group has that access, or has an FO that wants to help them build. In some NWSL cities, the SGs are quite literally just a few people doing their best to make noise.

    In my humble opinion, it isn't the SGs that need education: it's the front office staffs at each club.
     
  20. nomadpdx

    nomadpdx New Member

    Apr 27, 2014
    Portland
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Also: Death Star? Is that what you all call our stadium? If so, that's brilliant.
     
  21. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Hopefully the game against Seattle on May 10th will be a sellout. If I still lived in the Northwest, I would def. be there.
     
  22. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    Started by some folks here who aren't so fond of Portland. I think it's brilliant also. Just how we want them to feel.
     
  23. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    You didn't save up your flyer miles?

    I expect the place will be rockin'.
     
  24. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to go even if I did have enough flyer miles. Won't be able to leave Chicago till middle of June. But you can bet I will be glued to my computer watching it live.

    I love the Timbers/Thorns stadium. The concourse inside reminds me of Wrigley Field. The food is tasty and the adult beverage selection is plentiful.
    I hope that we have the biggest crowd ever for a professional women's soccer game in the US, not counting USWNT on May 10th in Portland. What an awesome sight that would be!!
     
  25. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    #25 Cliveworshipper, May 1, 2014
    Last edited: May 1, 2014

    Well, capacity right now is about 21K for a Timbers match. They sell out every home game. I think the inaugural WUSA match was 34K, so they can't top that at Providence..

    Just have to go for best average. A couple new really hoppy offerings this year....my lobbying appears to be working.

    Not surprising it reminds you of Wrigley. They were built about 12 years apart.
     

Share This Page