loyola Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Funny quote from the RPB forum: After Dunfield scored, my brother turned to me and said, and I quote: "Sweet, now we've got the vital away goal." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Reading this is like Deja Vu. I am flashing back 6-7 years! Its practically verbatium (I dont recall any armchair analyst suggesting the announce attendance was BS so that would be the one thing missing) except the city taking it now was the city dishing it out previously. What we need are a few "aha" moments here and for some Toronto guys to say "hey, its not as straightforward as we thought" and apologize for being dickheads then, and the non-Toronto guys to stop being dickheads now. What you saw is the reality in Canada everywhere. This group was formed so collectively, something could be done to change that. So how about we stop ****ting in each other's sandboxes? Right now, our best options lie with Toronto. Vancouver could potentially get there and I assume Montreal too. The basis will be the supporters groups. Jamiaca was a good start. I am hoping that every WCQ will go the same way this time (and would say Toronto earned the right to host them all this time around - at least until such time as montreal shows what their fans can do, and/or Vancouver gets grass). What we really need are the supporters groups to get "excited" about friendlies in the same way that they did about WCQ. Its a culture that has to be built to the point that it becomes routine and assumed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Well said Gordon. I haven't weighed in much on the attendance bit except when I saw a boast about setting CMNT attendance records at BMO (as I was in Edm with 50,000 others in '94). I agree completely with you. The only thing we, as Voyageurs, can control is our support for the CMNT. And I saw a packed south end with passionate fans clad in our colours and making a lot of noise. We have to continue to treat all our home games as Voyaguers' events and keep growing. The more casual fans will follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beaver Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Yes, well said Gordon and Ed. I posted this on another thread, but I'll toss it into the mix here too: I haven't posted in a long, long time, but this matter of building passionate fan support is just too important. A few quick thoughts: 1. I am in Vancouver and watched the Ecuador game online--while watching the Canucks--and I was also disappointed to see all the yellow in the stands. Mind you, that is exactly where the cameras were pointed, so what else could I see? Rarely did the cameras even pan over to the organized and rabid Canadian stands. I've been a supporter for long enough NOT to get my expectations high when it comes to Canadian fan attendance at these games, so my disappointment was kept in check, but I suspect for many of us our expectations in this regard are growing, which is fantastic on one hand but has its own challenges. I am very pleased to hear that those who took part in the organized sections had a blast, and that many newbies have been converted. As supporters we can only control a couple of factors when it comes to building fan support ie. We CANNOT make Canada win more games. But we can continue doing what Toronto-areas Vees have started, which is build on the supporter base through word of mouth, through the site, and to make the EXPERIENCE of watching a national game with other rabid fans an amazing thing. The goal for the next game in Toronto should be to add another full section. That would require only 1 out of every 3 people who attended last match to bring one more friend. But some other quick thoughts: 2. Venues should be selected FIRST for the strategic benefit of the team on the field. Travel is a huge challenge when many of our players play in Europe. I live in Vancouver and would love to see more games here, but I would rather have a winning team, even if that meant the only way I could see the nats play is by flying to TO. 3. Wherever games are held, the "Toronto strategy" should be applied. Create an amazing, organized experience for core supporters, use word of mouth to grow the core, and keep building from there. 4. I know that Gerry Dobson checks us out from time to time, but if he has been following our recent discussion about fan attendance--and he has--then he should be picking up on a huge opportunity for him as a broadcaster AND a fan who wants more Canadians to show up and support the national team. First, get the damned cameras on our roaring fans! Second: make sure there is audio on these same fans. Third: Get your ass--or your "man in the field"--into the stands and actually do a couple of segments--pregame, halftime--amid the noise and singing and jollity of our fans. Basically: help us manufacture the image of what attending a national team game is like, and maybe we'll convince others to come out AND dress in red and wave flags etc. I mean, TV remains the most powerful medium of persuasion in our culture, and Dobson could use it to much greater effect. 5. Craig and Gerry: Get with the "Toronto strategy" and start focussing on what we are indeed achieving and not on the sour grapes disappointment of a stadium filled with yellow. Basically, see point 4 above and use your TV superpowers to help us build support. Sour grapes makes ****ty w(h)ine. Throw us some sugar. 6. Could one of our Voyageur marketing gurus please send the CSA a letter indicating all the small, but important things the CSA could do to help the "Toronto strategy". I mean, at least offer some sort of opportunity to win a prize if you arrive at the stadium wearing Canadian colours. Etc. A supportive note with fantastic, inexpensive ideas to the CSA could result in some good changes. Send it on behalf of the Vees. 7. It was evident from watching the game on TV, and from everything I've read here from guys who attended the game, that our players truly appreciated what our organized sections did Wednesday night. You could see it in their eyes. Yeah, it helps when you score a couple of goals, but still...Our players are used to playing in Canadian stadiums where the Canadian fan is barely seen, barely audible. If we can grow section by section, and if the lads can keep growing and improving on the field, then we'll get there someday. Its going to take time, but we are headed in the right direction. I've seen national team games in Victoria, Vancouver (Burnaby), Edmonton and Toronto, and in each instance those of us in red were in the vast minority. Painfully so, at times. It is indeed frustrating, but we are making real progress, and I am damned proud of what the Toronto-area Vees have done and encourage them (us) to keep going! Vive le Canada! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobe_z Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Yes, well said Gordon and Ed. I posted this on another thread, but I'll toss it into the mix here too: Vive le Canada! +1 on everything you said (even if I didn't quote it all) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew Shaw Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 In Victoria the crowd is always pro-Canada. However, it's never an organised crowd, and that's the difference that having pro teams in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal will make: an established group who already know how to chant, and know how to make flags. Even if the pro-Canada crowd in Toronto was outnumbered, it was organised. When it moves into the east stand, THEN we will have turned the tide, and the support will snowball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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