Have you ever wondered who those loud and raucous fans are at soccer matches?
The group of people heckling opponents, playing drums and chanting for 90 minutes?
Ever wanted to know what it’s like to be part of one?
Now is your chance.
“One of the most frequent questions we receive is about a supporters club,” said FC Davis owner Adam Lewin. “Last season we had college students start a group. An out of town contingent started a group. A local group started named the Yolo Locos. They seemed to pop up every game day.”
While the newly founded groups were enthusiastic, most found it hard to expand outside of their immediate social circles. With a sizable chunk of time needed to build momentum, it was a tough task for one person to undertake.
To solve the problem, FC Davis wanted to find a way to provide an initial platform for organization and growth.
“After watching from a distance the first season, we finally said hey, there is significant interest here. Let's provide a platform for everyone to register and get the ball rolling, then a leader can take it from there. We found a leader. We put up a registration link. The numbers started growing quickly.”
While match goers think of supporters clubs as fans who bring the atmosphere to games, an equal part of the experience takes place off the field with social events and meets-ups among local soccer enthusiasts.
“Supporters groups provide soccer communities a place they can call home. To go out with friends and meet new ones. With soccer providing a foundation of common interest, its a place people can go to grow existing friendships while creating lasting memories with people they otherwise would not have come in contact with.”
You can register for the FC Davis Supporters group at the link here: http://bit.ly/2UfTSUV
A pre-season party will take place to develop chants, plan game day activities, create a social calendar and design shirts and scarves.