Vancouver MLS Event Invite

[Regs]

The Vancouver Southsiders would like to extend an invitation to a very special event we're holding at Cinema Public House on Tuesday June 8th to celebrate the unveiling of the Vancouver Whitecaps new MLS logo, and the kickoff to our 2011 supporters membership campaign.

The Vancouver Southsiders are Canada's oldest football
(soccer) supporters association.

Since 1999 the Southsiders have stood behind the goal at Swangard generating an authentic football atmosphere.

Over time, we have seen the name of the club renamed from the 86ers to the Whitecaps, and watched our numbers grow. Next year brings another welcome change for both the club and the Southsiders .

On Tuesday we will formally kick off our MLS membership campaign and we would love for you to join us.

As part of the celebration, we're very proud to announce that this event will be the first ever opportunity for fans to purchase official Whitecaps merchandise featuring their new MLS logo.

Another exciting highlight of the evening will be a question and answer session with Whitecaps CEO Paul Barber. The club created international news last fall when they were able to steal him away from Tottenham Hotspur, where he served as Executive Director. Paul has also held the title of Director of Marketing and Communications for The Football Association in England.

If you would like to submit a question, please email vancouversouthsiders@hotmail.com

On hand at the event will be current Whitecaps manager, Teitur Thordarson as well as many of the current players and staff members.

The Southsiders will also be premiering a series of viral videos that we hope you will enjoy. The evening will have a great raffle which will feature two grand prizes of a pair of tickets to the Seattle Sounders vs DC United Match including transportation to and from the match from Vancouver.

We hope you can join us at Cinema Public House at 7:30-10:30 on Tuesday June 8th. Cinema is located at 901 Granville St, Vancouver and is a member of the Donnelly Group of Pubs - Please RSVP events@vancouversouthsiders.ca

If you have any questions please send a PM to JohnnyBlueNose or visit Vancouver Southsiders Official Website

 

[johnnybluenose]

Thanks Regs for putting that up!

This event is going to be packed out, so please ensure that if you are interested in coming out that you rsvp and be there early.

As above, this will be the very first chance for the General Public to get a look at the newly branded gear (sadly no replica tops will be available for a while)

 

[Law5]

are the southsiders going to be the only supporter's group? i know that the sounders have a couple, Gorilla FC and Emerald City Supporters to name two.

 

[bergamascho]

You heading up the second group Law?

 

[johnnybluenose]

Law5, As of right now the SS'ers are the only real group, there was for a short time a large group of Japanese folks that blocked off a large portion of a section in the North Side of the grandstand when Taka Hirano first signed for the Caps, but they have all but vanished. There is a group of guys that look like 80's punks... they are not related to the SS'ers, but stand just off to the East of the SS'ers at the park, and usually mingle with our guys at halftime and maybe for a chat after the game, but that's about it.

It's funny you bring up the ECS, the groups have had a great relationship over the last decade (The ECS and the SS'ers) with a mutual hatred for Portland and the Timbers Army. We often host the ECS guys to games when they are in town, we had one at the last home game IIRC who was in town for whatever reason.

The ECS was actually way smaller in numbers at their spot in the timeline to MLS than we are currently, and their Paid membership is fast approaching 2000 now.

Currently there is also talk of a drum group that are planning to become a sub sect of the Southsiders, to provide, likely elsewhere in the park at BC Place and Empire, a more latin style support for the team, vs the southsiders who practice a more cheeky harassing type of torment for the opponents and support for the Caps (singing, chanting, getting very very personal with other teams keepers and players, for instance singing out a song/chant to the tune of "My Way" by the backstreet boys to a keeper in the league whose former Miss USA contestant girlfriend left him for Nick Carter... Or chanting the phone number of the Mother of a particular cnut keeper in the league... or TTP'ing of the Montreal Keeper Matt Jordan, whose wife keeps a fully public blog about their family, life and it's goings on...) Lol.

There are bound to be other groups spring up, likely none of them will grow to be as big as the Southsiders due to the already existing infrastructure etc the group already has in place, the relationship the group has with the WFC Head office in ticketing, match day operations, security, etc, and the sheer numbers of the group (up over 100 paid memberships at present IIRC with a total game day attendance that ranges from a 100 or so to around 300-400 behind the South goal at higher profile games.)

In Toronto the original supporters group for the Lynx became the "U-Sector". The red patch boys came along, which really appeared as a TFC set up/ glory hunting thing, but largely the original pro soccer supporters in Toronto were the U-Sector. The U -Sector and the RPB's are the two large groups that dominate the organized support groups at BMO Park.

I have no idea what is going on in Portland, as the Timbers Army has always been the biggest in the Northwest teams (ECS, TA, Southsiders)

and the 3 Supporters groups actually created their own cup competition called the Cascadia Cup.

The Southsiders also facilitate other things like Bus Trips to Portland and Seattle, perhaps will be organizing other trips to away matches (San Jose, La Galaxy and Chivas, RSL?) And the membership cards have perks at local pubs, bars,, clubs, businesses, etc

 

[bulljive]

Remember when the southsiders got beat up by the portland timbers supporters in their home park..classic.

 

[johnnybluenose]

Uhh, it's not a firm or ultras group you'd see on football factories.

You should check out your sigline bulljive.

 

[Regs]

Personally I think the Southsiders have come a long way since the days of "mortibal" and Evil Bert

Seriously, they are a group that is getting their shite together and I believe will grow to be the largest Vancouver MLS supporters group when everything shakes down.

 

[Law5]

I had thought about trying to get together an additional supporter's group, but i think it might just be too much to take on, not that i have anything against the SSers but as mr. bluenose puts it, they already have such a deep connection with the club and I think it would be better to put everything into one great group rather than having a bunch of fractions

 

[italian_stallion21]

JBN, will you be posting pics of the kit on here? I can't make it as I'm saving us the $150 and going to the AGM that night.

 

[johnnybluenose]

I have a standin for the AGM that night (housearrest)

They won't be unveilng the kit for some time. The reason is they aren't announcing the primary kit sponsor yet, and when they do, the kit sponsor will likely have something big planned to unveil themselves as the primary sponsor and the kit itself in some sort of advertising campaign or something. The only things being unveiled here is the official team/club name (It has been rumored that they might actually go away from "Vancouver Whitecaps FC" to disassociate from that brand to try to attract the current soccer-snobs that view WFC as Second rate or Mickey Mouse and go with something like "Vancouver City FC" and use the term Whitecaps as a loose moniker ala TFC being called "The Reds") as well as the actual logo and brand marks.

We will likely have tons of pictures from the event that i can post here and will be posted elsewhere (The Facebook groups, Southsiders Website, flickr, etc)

 

[johnnybluenose]

I had thought about trying to get together an additional supporter's group, but i think it might just be too much to take on, not that i have anything against the SSers but as mr. bluenose puts it, they already have such a deep connection with the club and I think it would be better to put everything into one great group rather than having a bunch of fractions

I don't think it would be that hard to mobilize some groups depending on demographics and locations... Again if you look at TFC the smaller groups that are somewhat organized are more ethnic-centric, ala Tribal Rhythm Nation (Jamaican community in TO IIRC)

I'm sure if some Commercial Drive businesses got their shite together they could easily get an ethnic centric group together from the cafes, pubs, and restaurants... These are the folsk that are rightly or wrongly perceived as the "Euro-Snobs" that couldn't be arsed to come to matches... but strength in numbers and all that... Cultural Centres, etc...

If you look right now, The Caps are bringing a guy over from India (the starting keeper for their national team) on a trial. He might be able to take the reigns from Jay Nolly, and you never know, a player or two follows him over, or another guy of indo descent comes to town and you could very easily see an Indo-Community Supporters group pop up.

The cool thing about the Southsiders is you have people from all walks of life their from Middle aged guys from the UK and Western Europe to teenage girls of Asian descent to converted 5th generation Canadian hockey fans and just sports fans in general that are sick and tired of needing the clapping hands or leo the lion to get them to get off their arse to make noise and cheer).. All ages, genders, and ethnicities are well represented in the Southside.

 

[dezza]

fcuk me they better not go with Vancouver City FC, which is guaranteed to get shortened to Van City FC.

Why not just call themselves Vanchester United?

 

[johnnybluenose]

fcuk me they better not go with Vancouver City FC, which is guaranteed to get shortened to Van City FC.

Why not just call themselves Vanchester United?

For those that missed it in the Whitecaps forums, a funny take on the potential for a new name from a Toronto Fan Group.

11. Vanchester City (very trendy right now)
　
10. Olympique du Steve Nash
　
9. Pottingham Forest
　
8. Yoga Juniors
　
7. Deportivo de la Chinese Food
　
6. Bayer Lenarduzzi
　
5. Toke City FC ("The Potters")
　
4. Inter Pam Anderson
　
3. Granolatasaray
　
2. Birkenstock Wanderers
　
1. Crystal Meth Palace

 

[dezza]

Vancouver Whitecaps FC it remains...