Call for Hypocritical, Unfair and Arbitrary Sanctions in MLS to End

  • 2016-04-12

 Fellow Southsiders,

The Independent Supporters Council (ISC) is calling for the ridiculous ban on a member of the District Ultras to be lifted, and calling for cooperation from MLS to establish clear and well-understood rules for similar situations that might arise in the future.

Read the text of the ISC release below.

Recently Major League Soccer has taken harsh steps against DC United’s supporters group the District Ultras and targeted Matt Parsons, an active leader of the District Ultras.

The details of the punishment are widely available. Mr. Parsons lit a smoke device under a two lane car overpass in a march from from the tailgating area by all four of DC United’s supporters groups. The brand of smoke device in question is Enola Gay. It is widely used by many supporters groups inside their stadiums and is not known to cause respiratory problems or sickness of any kind inside these stadiums where they are used.

The District Ultras received a “punishment” of not being able to wave flags at the April 9th match vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps. Mr. Parsons received the absolutely ridiculous punishment of a one-year ban from R.F.K. stadium and a MLS league wide ban for the remainder of the 2016 season.

The Independent Supporters Council of North America believes this to be another prime example of the hypocritical, unfair and arbitrary nature of MLS, and it’s member teams, when it comes to dealing with supporters groups.

In this case, MLS consistently uses photos and videos of supporters groups waving flags, putting up creative tifo, lighting safe smoke devices. A widely circulated video showed a MLSSoccer.com employee lighting a smoke device in a MLS parking lot and running through the crowd with the active device. Yet they chose to ban supporters for doing the very things they celebrate.

What should be even more disturbing for supporters and fans of MLS teams is the league action itself in banning Mr. Parsons from ALL venues for 2016. This ban is an alarming trend where the league office arbitrarily, and without cause, is singling out fans, supporters and supporters groups for punishment seemingly based on the whims of faceless individuals hiding behind the league badge.

In this case, Mr. Parsons has been banned from every MLS venue for an action that would not even violate the rules of over 2/3 of the venues he is banned from.

The Independent Supporters Council of North America wants these hypocritical, unfair and arbitrary sanctions to end immediately.

First and foremost, the Independent Supporters Council calls for the ludicrous ban on Matt Parsons to be lifted by DC United and MLS immediately.

Furthermore, we are calling on Ray Whitworth, Vice-President of Security and Operations, to engage with the ISC in developing clear, fair and transparent rules that would regulate league wide bans and sanctions placed on supporters groups or their members.

This random criminalization of supporters and supporter’s culture is a dangerous step by MLS that threatens to derail the very real gains the league has made in recent years.

About:
The Independent Supporters Council was founded in 2009 to advocate for the fair treatment of home and away supporters, promote supporters culture, and oppose both racism and bias inside stadiums in North America.

Read more about the “incident” here:  http://dcist.com/2016/04/dc_united_facing_fan_mutiny_as_supp.php

And here’s a great read on supporter culture from Chris Corrigan over at AFTN: http://aftn.ca/the-only-permanent-job-in-football-is-supporter

Seattle Away? Seattle Away! March 19

  • 2016-03-16

Important information on Seattle Away March 19 trip.

Please read very carefully.
Cascadia Away
Please read through the general Away Travel Policies and the Southsiders Code of Conduct. Anyone who travels with us is subject to these policies — no exceptions.  This means that you and your friends and/or family members that are making the trip with you are held to the same standard.  And ultimately, you are responsible for them.  If anyone in the group fails to abide by these rules, travel privileges will be revoked, and funds allocated to future away trips forfeited.  Basically, don’t be a dick, and you’ll be fine.

Itinerary

11:15 gathering at Burrard street SkyTrain station, filling out waiver documents.
11:45 boarding the buses (collecting waiver documents and photocopies of passports)
12:00 Buses depart from Burrard station, WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR YOU.
12:45 (estimated) pickup at Campbell River Store. 
      BE THERE EARLIER. WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR YOU.
14:00 (estimated) stop at Costcutters, tapping of the kegs ceremony, 
      purchasing provisions for the trip
16:30 (estimated) buses arrive at Stadium.
17:00 NE gate opens for away supporters. 
      Entry with flags and personal tifo is MANDATORY at this time. 
      Entry is HIGHLY recommended at this time.
19:00 Kickoff.
21:00 Conclusion of the game (3 points). Our sections will be held for 20 minutes.
      You have been warned. PLEASE BE PATIENT, NO DRAMA, DON'T BE A DICK.
21:30 (estimated) Buses depart from Centurylink parking lot. 
      STAY WITH THE GROUP, DON'T WANDER AROUND, WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR YOU.
01:00 (estimated) Buses arrive back to Vancouver, making stops 
      at Campbell River Store and along Cambie street,
      with final dropoff at Burrard Station.

Stadium entry

CenturyLink stadium has very strict limitations on bags, leave it on the bus or in your car. Be at the NE gate at 5pm, especially if you have personal tifo, flags, or you just want a better spot in the stands.

Prohibited items: Animals (service animals ok), Beach balls/frisbee, Bottles (glass), Cans, Coolers/Ice chests, Drugs/Illegal Substances, Fireworks/Flares/Smoke Bombs, Flammable liquids, Flasks, Glass Containers, Laser pens/pointers, Pepper spray, Weapons, Whistles, All laptops

Ticket only

if you purchased a ticket only for this game, you’re missing out on the bus! We still have a few seats available, change your mind now!

Your ticket is available for download from the membership app, please print it as they will check it upon entering the away supporter sections. All away supporters’ sections are General Admission, the seat printed on your ticket is NOT your seat.

Bus travellers

Thank you so much for joining us on the buses! We have three (3!) almost full buses, and expect great times on the way down and up the I-5.

Your match ticket is available for download from the membership app, please print it as they will check it upon entering the away supporter sections.All away supporters’ sections are General Admission, the seat printed on your ticket is NOT your seat. For the few of you who are not a members (yet!) I’ll email you the pdf.

Note that you won’t be able to bring back any of your purchases back to Canada as we are away less than 24 hours.

Travellers checklist

  • Valid passport, enhanced drivers license or nexus card
  • Photocopy of your travel document (we will collect this and give it back/destroy it upon return)
  • Travel insurance coverage.
  • Match ticket printed.
  • Supporters gear. Bring your best and loudest voice.
  • Cooler for your refreshments, please bring a smaller one if possible so it fits under your seats. Coordinate with your fellow travellers and share a bigger one. You can buy ice at Costcutters.
  • Moderation. It will be a long day, drink with pace. Our boys on the pitch need our full support while we are in the stadium. Drunk idiots will not be tolerated.

… and as always

Don’t be a dick.

 

Acknowledging our “Southsisters” on International Women’s Day

  • 2016-03-08

Today is International Women’s Day. The Vancouver Southsiders Board of Directors would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous contributions women make each and every day to the betterment of our organization and to the growth of supporters culture in British Columbia.

Our “Southsisters” march to BC Place with the best of ’em and sing their hearts out every match.

They volunteer as capos, tifo creators, charitable fundraisers, away days stewards and board members.

They turn out in great numbers at our rallies and social events.

They make our recreational teams a success as fierce competitors on the pitch and curling rink.

They set an outstanding example for newcomers who are just learning what it means to be a football supporter.

When the Southsiders first formed in 1999, it was a small but overwhelmingly male group that worked very hard to convince the Whitecaps and their fans what a proper match day experience should be like and how supporters had a critical role to play in that process. Since then our numbers have grown exponentially and hundreds of women have stepped forward to say “I want to be a part of that and I can help make it even better.” For that, we are extremely grateful.

Thank you very much to each and every one of you who raise a Southsiders scarf with pride. You keep us honest and accountable, and you motivate us to be better leaders in our community.

Happy new season from your president

  • 2016-03-05

peterBack
Fellow Southsiders,

it is my greatest pleasure to welcome you to the 17th year of our unwavering support of the best soccer club in Vancouver, Canada, Cascadia, North America and the whole World (maybe just top 25 of that :P).

The Whitecaps are getting into this season as Champions of Canada, and aiming high to not only defend that title, but to fight to get the Cascadia Cup back, and of course to add shiny new trophies to the case: the Supporters Shield and the MLS Cup.

They are going to get them all, with my support, with your support, with OUR support.

How?

Very minimum:
join the march and get to the stadium on time;
warm up up your voice along with the players;
be loud and proud throughout the game, sing our songs, yell our chants, hold up your scarf, clap your hands, go with the flow;
bring or borrow a flag and wave it.

Some basics:
join #capsOnTour for away games in Cascadia and beyond;
hand out chant sheets in the stadium;
explain why and and how we support in the stadium around you;
take a few extra flags and hand them out around you before the game (and help collecting them afterwards)

Next step:
join our tifo crew to create visual support;
help to prepare and clean up our sections on game days;
help out with the rhythm and visual coordination: join the capos and drummers;
participate in our charitable works to better the community;
ask an executive how you can assist or help out.

And as always:
Don’t be a dick.

Let’s have a great year supporting our Whitecaps and have a lot of fun along the way with our fellow Southsiders!

Cheers,
Peter

Playoff Tickets – PDX Style

  • 2015-10-30

Hi all,

 

If you didn’t manage to get your Portland Away tickets yet, there’s still time!

Check out the link here:

http://ev9.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/EVExecMacro?linkID=timbers&evm=prmo&RSRC=&RDAT=&caller=PR

Promo Code – WHITECAPS

 

Act fast – ticket sales cut off at 12 Noon on Saturday, October 31st

Go Caps!

 

August 29th Foot Golf

  • 2015-08-14

Hi everyone!

We’re only 2 weeks away from our Foot Golf event!  I need to give the course final numbers a few days beforehand though, so if you’re on the fence about attending, make the decision and buy your spot!  There are couple things have changed since the original post, so I’ll go over it all here again.

This event will be at Coyote Creek Golf (http://eaglequestgolf.com/locations/coyote-creek/), and at Big Ridge Brewing.

The Whitecaps play in Houston at 6:00pm, so we’ll tee-off at 2:30pm (originally 2pm, this time changed) so that the last group is done by 5:00, giving everyone lost of time to make it to Big Ridge to watch the match.  Unfortunately Big Ridge’s shuttle is no longer in service, but we will make sure there’s enough vehicles to provide everyone transportation.  We can also make arrangements for transport to/from Skytrain if necessary.

As the name implies, this is Foot Golf rather than normal golf.  Also know as Soccer Golf.  Kick a soccer ball at a giant hole in the green!

Cost is only $15 per person (Originally $35).  Add another $10 if you want a power cart.

Things to note about foot golf:
– You’ll need to bring your own soccer ball.
– No soccer cleats permitted; just running shoes. Golf cleats “might” be Ok, but I’d have to confirm.
– We’ll “golf” in groups of 6.

Here’s the link to buy your spot: http://vancouversouthsiders.bigcartel.com/product/foot-golf-event-august-29th

Once we’ve all finished golfing, we’ll adjourn to Big Ridge to watch the game.

Big Ridge has been generous to obtain a couple casks for us (one of their own, and one from Black Kettle), and they’ll be tapping them at 5:30pm.  Big Ridge is also going to be hosting this as a fund raiser for our charitable causes committee, so hopefully we get a good turnout to raise some money!

We’ll likely have a raffle/auction, a 50-50, and of course various prizes for the best score/worst score/best dressed golfer of the day.

Feel free to reach out to me by email (events@vancouversouthsiders.ca) or on Twitter (@rmrgcb) if you have any questions at all.  Finally, here’s a link to the forum discussion on this event. (http://vancouversouthsiders.ca/forum/discussion/4883/august-29th-foot-golf-event)

Hope to see you all there!

Cascadia Away – Seattle – Saturday, August 1st

  • 2015-07-29

Cascadia Away

Hello, Southsiders!
This Saturday is the big one – Seattle Away!  Hundreds of ‘Caps Supporters will be trekking down the I-5 for a crucial Cascadia match, and we want to share some information to make things go smoothly

Pre-Match

We have secured a venue exclusively for the use of Vancouver Whitecaps supporters for a pre-match location.  The ShowBox SODO Lounge (1700 1st Avenue South – roughly a 15 minute walk to the NE Gate of the CLink) will open its doors to Supporters at 2pm and feature a full kitchen and bar staff for pre-match festivities.  There is no cover at the location, though it is 21+ only.  We’ll have TVs on showing other MLS games during the day.

Stadium Entry

All supporters will be entering the Stadium via the NorthEast gate at 5:15pm.  Due to the hot weather conditions, sealed water bottles will be allowed into the stadium.  Anyone bringing large flags or banners that they wish to hang should contact Kyle (travel@vancouversouthsiders.ca) for special entry instructions.

Ticket Distribution

Tickets have all been distributed via an e-mail from travel@vancouversouthsiders.ca .  If you need a ticket, you have until Thursday night to buy them via the following link! https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/seattlemls/EN/link/promotion/home/d700c9385c4f6e641a60ea2add82ed24cddcba07

Use the promo code CAPS2015 (Note: You can also buy your Seattle Away CCL edition tickets here as well)

Seating

We will be in our usual spot at CenturyLink Field – Sections 300-301.  These seating areas will be General Admission — that means that the seat info printed on your ticket is NOT the seat that you will be sitting (standing) in.  The section on your tickets, however, will be correct.  For the best seats, please show up to the stadium at least 90-105 minutes before kick-off and claim the best seats available.

If you see areas of the stands that are taped or blocked off, DO NOT MOVE OR INTERFERE WITH THESE AREAS.  We have those spaces reserved for the drums, capos and other trip volunteers.

You should expect to have flags in your way at one point or another during the match.  While we don’t anticipate it happening often, you should expect to have a flag in your way during the course of play as well.  Should there be any threats or inappropriate behaviours resulting from this, you can expect a chat from security, and the possibility of ejection from the section.  We are all there to support the boys in blue and white, not fight each other.

After the Match

As with all Cascadia matches, traveling fans will be held in their section after the final whistle until the stadium empties.  We’re expecting 55,000+ fans at the CLink, so the hold time could be up to 30 minutes.  PLEASE STAY IN YOUR SEATS, JOIN THE CHANTS, AND DO NOT TRY TO PUSH UP AGAINST SECURITY.  This goes with our general Away Travel Policy – Don’t Be A Dick

Away Travel Policies

Please read through the general Away Travel Policies and the Southsiders Code of Conduct.

Anyone who travels with us is subject to these policies — no expections.  This means that you and your friends and/or family members that are making the trip with you are held to the same standard.  And ultimately, you are responsible for them.  If anyone in the group fails to abide by these rules, travel privileges will be revoked, and funds allocated to future away trips forfeited.  Basically, don’t be a dick, and you’ll be fine.

 

Save travels to everyone heading down the I-5, and I’ll see you in Washington State!

— Kyle Braun

Director of Away Travel

 

Cascadia Away — Portland, July 18th & Seattle, August 1st

  • 2015-07-10

With our two most popular #CapsOnTour trips rapidly approaching, and with our Cascadia Cup fate very much in the balance, we are looking forward to two successful road trip to Portland and Seattle in the coming weeks.  As these are our two most popular trips, we want to go over a few key points

 

Away Travel Policies

Please read through the general Away Travel Policies and the Southsiders Code of Conduct.

Anyone who travels with us is subject to these policies — no expections.  This means that you and your friends and/or family members that are making the trip with you are held to the same standard.  And ultimately, you are responsible for them.  If anyone in the group fails to abide by these rules, travel privileges will be revoked, and funds allocated to future away trips forfeited.  Basically, don’t be a dick, and you’ll be fine.

Ticket Distribution

Tickets for both Portland and Seattle matches will be distributed via e-mail in the days before the match.  It is imperative that your e-mail address in your Southsiders profile is accurate, as this is the e-mail address we will use for distribution.

We strongly encourage you to print off your tickets and bring the hard copy to the match.  There is a chance the bar code can be read off your phone, but if it doesn’t work, it’s very tough to find a place to print your ticket at that time.

Seating

We will be in our usual spots for both stadiums (Providence Park – Sections 222 & 223, CenturyLink Field – Sections 300-301).  These seating areas will be General Admission — that means that the seat info printed on your ticket is NOT the seat that you will be sitting (standing) in.  The section on your tickets, however, will be correct.  For the best seats, please show up to the stadium at least 90 minutes before kick-off and claim the best seats available.

If you see areas of the stands that are taped or blocked off, DO NOT MOVE OR INTERFERE WITH THESE AREAS.  We have those spaces reserved for the drums, capos and other trip volunteers.

Furthermore, if you are a Southsider that made your own ticketing arrangements (i.e. you purchased through StubHub or the Timbers directly), and are not standing with us, DO NOT COME TO 222-223.  There is a finite amount of space in Portland, and we simply DO NOT have room for you to come and join us.  There will be Providence Park staff looking at tickets and sending you elsewhere.

You should expect to have flags in your way at one point or another during the match.  While we don’t anticipate it happening often, you should expect to have a flag in your way during the course of play as well.  Should there be any threats or inappropriate behaviours resulting from this, you can expect a chat from security, and the possibility of ejection from the section.  We are all there to support the boys in blue and white, not fight each other.

Portland

For our match in Portland, we will be entering via Gate 5 of Providence Park, located in the Southeast Corner of the Stadium (On SW 20th st at Salmon St.) — Doors will open 90 minutes prior to kick-off.  It is recommended that you arrive at least one hour prior to kickoff. Please be aware that there may be a holding period after the match for supporters as per MLS and home stadium rules and discretion.

Seattle

Though we do not yet have all the details for the Seattle match, we expect the entry process to be similar to previous years.  The NorthEast gate at CenturyLink will open 90 minutes prior to kick-off.  Anyone with flags or banners should be there 90 minutes prior to kick-off.  It is recommended that you arrive at least one hour prior to kickoff. Please be aware that there may be a holding period after the match for supporters as per MLS and home stadium rules and discretion.

 

If anyone has any questions at all, please e-mail Kyle Braun at travel@vancouversouthsiders.ca and we can get everything squared away.
Looking forward to seeing everyone down in America, and to completing the Three-Peat of the Cascadia Cup!

Message from the President: Our All. Our Honour

  • 2015-03-28

Update:

The Whitecaps have issued the following statement in response to supporters groups’ planned protests: http://www.whitecapsfc.com/whitecaps-fc-statement-regarding-kings-cascadia-scarf

 

Original statement below:

 “OUR ALL. OUR HONOUR.”

 

As many of you are aware the Whitecaps have created a scarf using the trademarked likeness of the Cascadia Cup. There are many questions and concerns about this from our membership and we have been unable to address many of them immediately. We needed the facts, and needed to attempt dialog with the front office before we felt comfortable sharing any information.

 

Let me be clear: the Whitecaps have a legal license to produce and sell this item. They went through the proper channels to secure this license. The Cascadia Cup Council agreed to a clause in our agreement with MLS that if we did not deny a licensing request in a timely matter it would default to granting said license. Through a failure in our email system we did not manage to stop this license from being granted. According to the letter of the law the Whitecaps are entitled to make and sell 300 scarves of that design at retail using the marks of the Cascadia Cup Council.

 

The spirit of the licensing agreement is another matter. We fought for our trademarks to prevent 2 things: corporate branding of our cup, and corporate profiteering from our creations. My understanding was that we agreed to the licensing clause to allow teams to create internal promotional items to celebrate Cascadia Cup victories. This item clearly goes against all of those principles. Had our technology not failed the license would certainly have been denied.

 

We approached the club and expressed our disappointment, our viewpoint on the spirit of the law, filled in the gaps of how the license was granted and offered 2 possible solutions to move forward in an honourable and amicable fashion:
  1. Reconsider selling this item and repurpose it as a promotional give away, or failing that;
  2. Donate the proceeds from this item to one of several charities, and immediately begin promoting the sale of this scarf as a charitable fundraiser.

 

The club has decided against either resolution, believing their actions to be reasonable, lawful, and in the spirit of their empty slogan “Our All. our Honour.” It is clearly an opinion I do not agree with, nor do the rest of my co-directors, the leadership of our other fellow Whitecaps supporters groups, or our counterparts in Portland and Seattle.

 

All of this hubbub could have been avoided with a simple courtesy phone call or email at any number of junctures early in the process. We had a sit down meeting in their offices while the approval process was underway. Doing that would require a basic level of respect and understanding which the club are yet to demonstrate in my 4 seasons as a board member.

 

We have had disputes like this with the club at regular intervals and they result in the same thing each time: mutual promises to do better moving forward, and another failure to do so, usually by the office failing to effectively communicate with us. The last major one occurred a little more than a year ago and at that time I resolved to speak with my wallet. Since Febuary of 2014 I have spent exactly $25 on Whitecaps merchandise and BC Place concessions; I bought a handful of socks and a coffee mug on massive discount at their warehouse sale.

 

I can no longer move forward in good conscience and with personal dignity maintaining the status quo. The only things I have left that the club cares about are my seat, and the hundreds of hours a year I donate to help create the best sporting atmosphere in the city. As an independent supporter I believe in doing my best to better the club and its culture. Part of that is making sure the club is living up to it’s lofty goals and core values. I don’t currently believe that the club is doing so. Regrettably, this leaves me in a position where I feel the need to step forward publicly and ask you to join me in scaling back your support of the club, financial and otherwise. At the minimum #DontBuyThatScarf. If you can avoid spending any money in BC Place today, so much the better.

 

Further, today marks the first gameday in several seasons that I will not be organizing or helping to create the atmosphere in BC Place. It is a painful decision, particularly since we are facing Cascadian rivals, but I don’t feel comfortable doing my best for a company that does not treat me with a basic level of courtesy and understanding. I would invite you to leave your personal Tifo at home, and to follow your capos today, even more than other days.

 

For the first 15 minutes of the game I will be trying something entirely new, sitting in my seat and quietly watching the match. I encourage you to do the same.
I don’t know if we can change the culture of our office together, but I feel like we can try. Until then I invite them to use a truer slogan:

 

“ALL OURS. NO HONOUR.”

 

Brett Bird
President and Director of Stadium Operations

Portland Away – May 2nd, 2015

  • 2015-03-15

Cascadia Away, May 2nd, 2015

Tickets for the Cascadia Cup away game in Portland on May 2nd, 2015 are now on sale.

Please not the following:

  • Tickets are $55 CAD for this match – the poor USD-CAD exchange rate is forcing us to sell the tickets at this price, even though the face value of the tickets is lower than previous years due to supporters group lobbying efforts.
  • The entire section will be general admission (ALL Whitecaps supporters groups as well as tickets bought from the Whitecaps by season ticket holders are GA. No assigned seating.)
  • Vancouver Southsiders members in good standing are now allowed to purchase up to 8 tickets.
  • Please remember to log into the members application before navigating to the #capsOnTour store – this sale is members only.
  • Tickets will be provided as a PDF via email before the match. Please provide an alternate email in the notes if you do not wish them to be sent to your membership email address.
  • Details for security arrangements & timing of entry will be sent out at a later date and updated in this post.

 

Bus Trip Details

If there is sufficient demand, we will charter a bus down to Portland. Deposits for bus seats are available to gauge demand.

  • Bus seats will cost $65 CAD.
  • The bus will be confirmed once we have a minimum of 48 travelers. If the minimum is not met by April 22nd, 2015, deposits will be refunded.
  • Match tickets are NOT included with a bus seat.
  • Bus will depart May 2nd from Burrard Skytrain Station at 7am & will make a stop at the Campbell River Store
  • Bus is scheduled to leave Portland at 2pm on May 3rd.

 

Questions?

Our Director of Away Travel, Kyle Braun, can be reached via email at: travel@vancouversouthsiders.ca